


Rocket Science

by movementinthedark



Series: Ad Astra [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - International Space Station, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Astronauts AU, Astronauts In Love, Kylux - Freeform, M/M, alternate universe - NASA, benarmie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-07-13 04:17:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16010135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/movementinthedark/pseuds/movementinthedark
Summary: It’s been just over a year since he returned from the International Space Station, and Ben Solo’s life is looking up. He’s in a committed relationship, is actually getting along with his parents, and finally feels that he’s earned his place amongst the NASA astronauts. But with his boyfriend moving in and a crisis unfolding on the ISS, it’s sure to be a crazy fall.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited to announce that this fic is complete! This is a sequel to A Matter of Perspective, so I'd recommend reading that first if you haven't already. I'll be posting 1-2 chapters per week.
> 
> As with A Matter of Perspective, I have done a lot of research for this fic, but am by no means an expert on NASA or human spaceflight. Any errors are my own, and I have deliberately altered small details in a few places to better suit the story. Through writing this, I have learned more about the International Space Station's cooling systems than is probably normal for someone not employed by NASA, but I always prioritized telling a (hopefully) compelling story over getting every last technical detail correct.
> 
> I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did writing it!

At the sound of a car door shutting outside, Ben quickly deposited an armful of t-shirts into a drawer, pushing it closed. He ducked into the master bathroom and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to tame it with marginal success. Passing back through the exceptionally tidy bedroom, he headed for the hall.

He heard the front door open.

“Hey,” he called, reaching the top of the stairs.

“It is ridiculously hot.” Hux’s crisp British accent drifted up from the first floor, sounding mildly put-upon. “I don’t know how you can stand Texas in the summer.” The door clicked shut.

Ben jogged down the stairs, a wide smile taking over his face.

Hux was still talking. “What was I thinking, agreeing to move to Houston?”

Ben rounded the corner into the entryway, his heart actually skipping a beat. The sight of his boyfriend, dressed in what passed for Hux casual - jeans, tucked-in polo, sunglasses hooked over the collar of his shirt - tended to do that to him.

“I’ll be lucky if I don’t end up with heatstroke-“

Ben had reached Hux by this point, walking straight into him and cutting him off with a fierce kiss. He felt the other man relax against him and smiled against Hux’s lips.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Hux quipped, when they’d broken apart for air.

“It’s been a month,” Ben protested, arms around Hux’s narrow frame. “A _month_.” The other man’s arms had settled around his shoulders, and one hand tangled in Ben’s hair. Ben nearly purred.

Long-distance relationships weren’t easy, especially with the kind of demanding schedules they both had. They’d made a considerable effort to visit back and forth during the year they’d been dating, but Germany wasn’t exactly a short trip from Houston. Even Skype, without which Ben was fairly certain they wouldn’t have survived, was challenging when dealing with a seven hour time difference.

“How was your flight?”

“It was fine.” Hux leaned forward and pressed another light kiss to Ben’s lips. “I’m used to it.”

That was certainly true; they both were. And the nice thing about traveling on space agency business was that they provided you transport. It was far more peaceful to travel on a NASA or ESA jet than a crowded commercial airliner.

“Want a beer?”

Hux glanced behind him to the several pieces of luggage crowding the hall. “I should probably-“

“I’ll take it up in a bit,” Ben interrupted, already anticipating the need to unpack and organize formulating itself in Hux’s mind. The man was infuriatingly tidy. “I cleaned out some drawers for you.” He reached for Hux’s hand. “Come on.”

Hux let Ben tow him into the kitchen without complaint, settling himself at the counter while Ben rummaged in the fridge. He retrieved two beers, popped the caps off, and pressed one into his boyfriend’s hand.

Hux took a sip and closed his eyes. Ben knew he was more tired than he’d admit to. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Ben sidled up next to him, relishing the closeness after weeks apart. Hux’s eyes opened, and he offered Ben a genuine smile. “I’m really glad you’re here,” Ben admitted.

Hux set his beer on the counter and caught Ben’s hand in his own, his thumb drawing circles on the younger man’s palm. “Me too.”

Ben smirked. “Despite the heat?”

Hux rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “At least your house is air-conditioned.”

“It’s Texas, babe,” Ben laughed. “Everything is air-conditioned.”

“Thank heaven for that.” Hux took another sip of beer, lifting the bottle with his left hand while keeping his right entwined with Ben’s. Ben sipped at his own; the perfect thing for the end of a hot day.

For all of his complaining, Hux wasn’t unused to Houston. He’d certainly spent enough time at JSC over the past decade, for training and debriefing for both of his missions. This was different, though. This time, he’d be staying. For at least the next two years, anyway. As he was still employed by the European Space Agency, he’d likely be recalled to Germany once that time was up, but Ben wasn’t going to think about that just yet. A lot could happen in two years.

It had been more than four months ago that Hux had told him he’d been assigned as the next ESA Astronaut Representative to NASA, beginning in September 2021. Ben knew that their relationship had at least something to do with Hux being given the position - perhaps the higher-ups at ESA and NASA were trying to avoid either of them retiring in order to move to be with the other, which certainly wasn’t on the table at this stage. It was far from the only contributing factor, however; it was a great opportunity, and Hux was pleased to have it for plenty of reasons having nothing to do with Ben. The younger man certainly wasn’t about to question it.

The revelation that they were dating had been met with little fanfare at both agencies. Poe and Phasma had certainly exchanged a lot of knowing looks, which made Ben wonder if he’d been a bit more transparent in his feelings than he’d thought. He and Hux had disclosed their relationship to their superiors, per protocol, and then everyone had nodded and got on with things. It meant they’d probably never overlap on a mission again, but that was relatively unlikely anyway.

The last four months had dragged on as he’d not so patiently waited for Hux’s new assignment to start. Especially the last one, since he’d returned from his last visit to Germany. But now, Hux was here. Working at the same facility. Living in his house. Sleeping in his bed every night. Assuming they didn’t argue too much about closet organization and eating habits, it was going to be perfect.

 

\------------

 

** _Fifteen months earlier_ **

_Ben stepped out into the late afternoon Houston sun, squinting against the bright light. He still didn’t feel re-acclimated to quite so much sunlight, not after six months on board the ISS. Truth be told, he didn’t yet feel re-acclimated to anything else, either._

_He started in the direction of the crew quarters, less than a half mile from where he currently stood in front of the building that housed the Johnson Space Center’s Astronaut Office. He was walking everywhere at present, despite his unsteadiness and the often high temperatures; his car was parked at his house, just over five miles away, and he was definitely not cleared to drive it. He hadn’t even been home yet, but - with any luck - a few more days would find him sleeping in the comfort of his own bed._

_“Ben!”_

_At his name, Ben turned towards the sound of the voice and promptly wandered right off of the sidewalk. Hux was chuckling when he reached him, nonetheless offering a steadying hand._

_“Okay?”_

_“Yeah.” Ben couldn’t help but laugh, too. “I should know better than to turn my head while walking.”_

_Hux smirked. “I was hoping I’d see you. I’m flying back to Germany tomorrow.”_

_“Oh really?” Ben felt a pang of disappointment. Between his medical tests and debriefing, and Hux’s own meetings, he’d barely seen the man since their brief conversation on the night of his return from space. “You did promise me a beer, although - as much as it pains me to admit it - I think that might have to wait.”_

_The corner of Hux’s mouth turned up. “Seeing as you’re already walking like you’re drunk, I’d say so, yes.”_

_“Give me a break,” Ben protested good-naturedly. “I’ve only been back three days.”_

_“Are you still staying in crew quarters?” Hux queried. “I’m happy to give you a lift home, if you need one.”_

_Ben smiled. “Yeah, I’m still staying here. Thanks for the offer, though. Where are you staying?”_

_“I’m at the Hilton around the corner.” Hux nodded in that general direction. Ben knew the one he meant, it was right on the lake._

_“Do you want to come back to crew quarters with me?” Ben asked, without pausing to consider if that sounded weird. Or too forward. “I mean, only if you have time. But the kitchen there makes an amazingly good cup of coffee, and it’d give us a chance to catch up-“_

_“I’d like that,” Hux replied, thankfully interrupting Ben’s rambling._

_“Yeah? Okay, cool.” Ben cautiously turned to resume walking towards his accommodations, Hux falling into step beside him. “Where did you come from just now? You weren’t in the Astronaut Office, were you?”_

_Ben had been in the Office all afternoon, himself, following a morning of further medical evaluations and physical rehabilitation. He didn’t recall seeing Hux at any point during the day, although he’d mostly been debriefing in the conference room, which had no windows._

_“I’ve been there off and on,” Hux replied. “Just now, I was over in 4-N for a meeting.” 4-N was adjoined to 4-S, which housed the Astronaut Office._

_That made Ben feel a little bit better. He didn’t particularly like the idea that he’d walked right by Hux without noticing, although he was just exhausted and disoriented enough that it might have been possible. Ben glanced over at the other man; the Brit’s red hair seemed lighter and more golden in the bright sunlight._

_No, scratch that._

_He definitely would have noticed._

 

\------------

 

_They were the only two in the crew quarters’ dining room. That wasn’t terribly surprising, given that Poe and his family were the only other current residents. Poe had left the Astronaut Office just ahead of Ben, following the end of the day’s debrief, no doubt eager to spend time with his wife and daughter. Ben assumed they’d be down for dinner eventually, but it was still early yet._

_“How are you readjusting?” Hux asked, as they sipped at their hot coffees. The Brit had foregone his usual tea in favor of taking Ben’s recommendation. So far, he didn’t seem to be regretting it._

_“Slowly,” Ben replied, wrinkling his nose._

_“I did warn you.” Hux smirked. “That’s the only way it goes - slowly.”_

_“I just kind of feel like a mess,” Ben admitted. “Everything is hard - standing up, even sitting for too long, walking. I keep dropping things-“_

_“Forgetting about gravity?” Hux chuckled. “You’ll get back to normal, don’t worry.”_

_“Was it like this for you?” Ben wondered. “I can’t quite imagine you as anything other than completely put together.” Sitting down, he finally had the focus to properly observe the man in front of him. Hux looked much as he had the few nights prior: button-down, sport jacket that was now slung over the back of his chair, hair neatly slicked back._

_Hux smiled at that. “I’m not immune to the effects of spaceflight, Ben. Trust me, I was plenty disheveled upon my return.”_

_Ben had to bite down on his tongue to stop the words from tumbling out: I’d quite like to see you disheveled. He hoped Hux hadn’t noticed the color that was surely rising to his cheeks._

_Over the past three days since he’d returned from space, Ben had come to the absolute, irrevocable, conclusion that he had feelings for Hux. If he was entirely honest with himself, he’d known before then, but hadn’t let himself admit it. But seeing Hux on the tarmac his first night back, looking more handsome than strictly necessary, it had become undeniably clear. He just didn’t know if the other man felt the same. He thought…maybe. But Ben wasn’t sure. And, naturally, they’d hardly crossed paths at JSC since. Although that was mostly Ben’s fault, who spent most of his time not debriefing or in medical exams sound asleep._

_“If it makes you feel any better,” Hux added. “It’s only been in the past three weeks or so that I’ve been able to start properly running outside again.”_

_“Ha, it does,” Ben acknowledged. “Not the fact that it takes so long, but at least I know I’m not the only one who’s suffered through it.”_

_Hux shook his head with a smirk, and Ben grinned._

 

\------------

 

_“I should let you rest,” Hux commented, an hour or so later. Ben had become increasingly fidgety, and - of course - the other man’s sharp eyes had picked up on it._

_“I’m alright,” Ben protested automatically, even while knowing full well that he wasn’t going to last much longer sitting upright. His spine was compressing, the result of its reintroduction to gravity, and his back positively ached. Hux’s incredulous look said he knew as much._

_But admitting to it meant saying goodnight. And goodbye._

_Ben sighed, giving in. “Okay, I should probably lie down.”_

_They’d had some food, along with their coffee, so he could effectively go to bed for the night. Poe still hadn’t made an appearance. Maybe he was suffering from the same symptoms and had fallen asleep instead of coming to dinner. Ben wouldn’t blame him._

_Hux escorted an ever-wobbly Ben up to his room, not even attempting to hide his smirk when the younger man accidentally bounced off the wall in the corridor._

_Ben glared, although there was no heat to it. “Shut up.”_

_If anything, Hux looked even more amused. “I didn’t say anything.”_

_At the door, Ben said: “You can come in, if you want.”_

_“Just to make sure you’re all set,” Hux agreed, following him over the threshold._

_The crew quarters were more-or-less like a hotel; Ben’s room was pleasantly decorated, private, and had an attached en-suite. He deposited his wallet, phone and NASA badge on the table._

_“I should probably go, unless you need anything else,” Hux said. He was still by the door. “And you should get some rest.”_

_Ben nodded, ignoring the pang in his chest. “Yeah. Thanks for coming by, Hux. And for being there the other night, when I got back. It really- it’s been great to see you,” he finished._

_Hux smiled. “You too, Ben.”_

_They stood there for a long moment, neither moving, just looking at each other. Ben was desperately trying to think of something to say. He couldn’t just let Hux leave. To go back to Germany, so far away, with no idea when he’d see the other man again. Not after having waited so long. Not without knowing. They were almost chest to chest, although Ben wasn’t quite sure when that had happened. He honestly didn’t know which one of them moved, or perhaps they both did, but the space between them evaporated and their lips crashed together._

_Kissing Hux wasn’t exactly as Ben had imagined it. It was better. His lips were soft, and Ben could taste the coffee as the other man’s tongue tangled with his. He inhaled the scent of Hux’s aftershave, crisp and clean. The combined sensory input was a bit heady. Or maybe that was the dizziness, cresting over him in a wave._

_Ben gripped Hux’s shirt and squeezed his eyes shut, willing it to pass. The other man’s mouth stilled against his, drawing back slightly, his fingers tightening against Ben’s hips._

_“You okay?”_

_“Mmhm.”_

_“You’re dizzy, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question. “Shit, we shouldn’t be doing this.”_

_“Don’t say that,” Ben objected, feeling a flare of anxiety at the idea that Hux might be having regrets. He didn’t dare open his eyes as he was maneuvered backwards, ending up seated on the bed with a slight thump. Hux was deceptively strong. “We absolutely should.”_

_“I didn’t mean, in general.” Ben cracked open an eyelid to find Hux crouched in front of him, wearing an expression that resembled fond amusement. “I just meant, while you’re still incapable of remaining upright unassisted.”_

_Ben wrinkled his nose. “We don’t have to be upright.”_

_Hux snorted. “Only approved physical activity, remember?”_

_“You would be a rule-follower.”_

_Hux rolled his eyes. “Lie down,” he directed, in a voice that brooked no argument._

_“Would you stay? For a little bit?” Ben was glad he had to look away from Hux to untie his shoes, as he was most definitely blushing._

_“Of course. If you lie down,” the Brit repeated, a tad more gently than before._

_“I’m working on it.”_

_Lying down was heavenly, Ben’s entire body sighing with relief. Even better was that Hux was beside him, having kicked off his own shoes._

_“Well, this is an unexpected turn of events,” Hux murmured, from where he was propped up on his arm just to Ben’s right._

_“Yeah,” Ben agreed. “But a good one?” He offered a tentative, hopeful smile._

_“A good one,” Hux affirmed. “I suppose I should tell you,” he continued, after a moment. “That while I did have to be at JSC this week for meetings, I intentionally arrived a little earlier than necessary in order to be here for your return.”_

_Ben’s eyes widened. “Really?”_

_The other man nodded._

_“I missed you when you left the ISS,” Ben confessed._

_Hux smiled, a tender smile that Ben had never seen before, and gently carded a hand through the younger man’s slightly unruly hair. “I missed you, too.”_

_Even his achy body wasn’t going to prevent Ben from reaching up to pull the other man down into a kiss. Hux responded eagerly, but stilled Ben’s hands when they began roaming in earnest._

_“Only kissing,” he cautioned, to Ben’s noise of protest. “I’m not going to be responsible for setting back your recovery because we got carried away.”_

_Ben pouted, but had to concede that Hux had a point. “It’s probably just as well.” He gave a put-upon sigh. “Gravity seems to be impeding the functionality of certain parts of my anatomy.”_

_That got a real laugh out of Hux, and Ben frowned._

_“It’s not that funny.”_

_“You just told me-“ Hux was still laughing, dropping his head to Ben’s shoulder. “That gravity is preventing you from being able to get it up.”_

_Ben scowled. “Everything’s heavy, what did you expect?”_

_Hux’s face was pressed into Ben’s arm, his shoulders still shaking with laughter._

_“It’s not that funny,” Ben whined._

_“It’s hilarious,” Hux countered, finally lifting his head and wiping his eyes. “But also not that uncommon.”_

_“I’ve just been in space for six months,” Ben complained. “And you’re here, and you’re leaving tomorrow-“_

_“Shush.” Hux pressed his finger to Ben’s lips, although his eyes had softened a bit._

_Ben kept talking around Hux’s finger. “And I’ve been thinking about you since you left the ISS-“_

_He didn’t have time to wonder if he’d said too much too soon, for Hux leaned over him and claimed his mouth with a hard kiss._

_And Ben shut up._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the appearance of Kylux (Benarmie?) in the first few sentences of this fic makes up for the extremely slow burn in A Matter of Perspective!
> 
> Also, I have no idea if it's difficult to get an erection immediately after returning from space, but with the reintroduction of gravity and reduced circulation, it seems likely...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Earlier today, I saw someone on the street with a NASA t-shirt that said "Rocket Science"... hm, maybe I should get one of those!
> 
> I meant to include this with chapter 1 (really should have shared it in the last fic), but I've recently discovered that Google street view has a tour of the ISS! Link below, in case you haven't seen it and are interested in where Ben and Hux lived all those months...
> 
> (I keep trying to add an actual link, and it's not working, so here's the URL)
> 
> https://www.google.com/streetview/#international-space-station/

“What’re you doing?”

Ben lifted his head to peer sleepily at Hux, who was in front of the closet and pulling on what appeared to be a pair of athletic shorts.

“I’m going for a run.”

Ben glanced at the clock. 6:47 AM. “It’s Saturday.”

Hux turned to face him, a t-shirt in his hands. Even half-asleep, Ben could still be distracted by his half-naked boyfriend. “It is.”

“And neither of us have to work,” Ben pointed out. His opportunities to lie-in would be few and far between when he began his Capcom rotation, only two weeks away. He wasn’t sure Hux understood the meaning of the expression. “I don’t understand why you’re not still in bed.”

Hux smirked, pulling the shirt over his head and crossing to where Ben still lay. “Because I’m going for a run. Coming with?"

“It’s not even seven,” Ben stated, perhaps obviously.

“And thus the only time of day when it’s tolerable to run outside.”

Hux vastly preferred to run out-of-doors. Ben knew this. The Brit had acquiesced to the gym during the hottest of summer days, but switched to running outside as soon as the September early morning temperatures permitted. But even so.

Ben wrinkled his nose.

Hux lightly swatted at him. “Come on. You have an exercise requirement, too.”

They were both still on active flight status and therefore obligated to exercise a minimum number of hours per week. It was unlikely either of them would be assigned to a mission anytime soon, given how recently they’d returned and their current postings, but it was important to stay in shape all the same.

“As if that has anything to do with it,” Ben retorted. Hux went running most days and, Ben suspected, would do so even without the requirement. He made a grab for the other man, but Hux expertly dodged his grip, heading for the bathroom. “I _could_ just go to the gym later, like a sane person.”

“Or,” Hux paused in the bathroom door. “You could come running _now_ , and then spend the rest of the day with _me_.”

Ben groaned, thumping his head against the pillow. “You don’t play fair,” he called, Hux having disappeared from view.

But the other man’s chuckle could be plainly heard from the bathroom, as Ben finally made a move to roll out of bed. “Never claimed otherwise.”

 

\------------

 

“I talked to Phasma yesterday,” Hux told him, as they jogged back on to their street a little over an hour later. “Did I tell you?”

“No.” Ben shook his head. For as much as he hated to admit it, Hux was right to insist on exercising so early; it was already getting hot. “How’s she doing?”

“Good.” Reaching the house, they came to a stop, pausing to stretch in the driveway. “She likes living in Star City - says the people are great and that she’s learning a lot.”

Phasma was currently posted to Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, in a position not so dissimilar from the one Hux occupied at NASA. An astronaut representative from a partner space program. Her posting was for two years, so she and her husband had packed up and moved to Moscow for the duration.

“She said they’re planning to come back for the holidays,” Hux continued, once they were in the kitchen. Ben filled two glasses of water, passing one to the other man, and they leaned against the counter side by side to rehydrate. “So hopefully we’ll get to see her then.’

Aside from Ben, Phasma was easily Hux’s closest friend at NASA. Ben knew his boyfriend was disappointed not to overlap with her in Houston, although he hadn’t directly said as much.

“That’ll be good,” Ben agreed. “It’s been weird not seeing her around JSC.”

“She says hi, by the way,” Hux added. “Wanted to know how we were settling into cohabitation.”

Ben snorted. “What’d you tell her?”

“That we’ve yet to have a single argument.” Hux pushed off the counter, crossing to the hall. “But it’s only been three weeks.” Ben chuckled at that. “I’m going for a shower.”

“Got room for one more?”

Hux stopped in the doorway, giving Ben a once over. “Oh, I suppose…” he teased.

“I mean, if you’re going to wake me up at a ridiculous hour to go running…”

With a rather wicked grin, Hux disappeared down the hall. Ben was only too quick to follow.

 

\------------

 

_Gentlemen.” The accented voice drifted back from the front of the vehicle. “We have arrived.”_

_Ben glanced over to Poe, sitting on the far side of the backseat. The other man offered a grin. They’d just arrived in Cologne, following a ten hour overnight flight from Houston. They’d come on a NASA jet, so there had been plenty of space to stretch out and sleep, but Ben was still feeling the jet lag. After three weeks back on earth, the dizziness and nausea had subsided, but he still had to contend with body aches and exhaustion. Currently, his body was rather insistently reminding him that it was only five AM in Houston, even though his watch read noon._

_The driver had retrieved their bags from the trunk, and Ben and Poe collected them and made their way into the hotel. The European Astronaut Centre, where they’d be debriefing for the rest of the week, had arranged for both car and accommodations; one of the perks of traveling on company business._

_“I think I’m going to crash for a little bit,” Poe said, barely stifling a yawn, when they were outside of their adjoining rooms. They didn’t have to report to EAC until the next morning, giving them a little bit of time to rest._

_Ben nodded emphatically. “Definitely.”_

_Poe grinned. “Yeah, you need your beauty sleep before your date.”_

_Ben rolled his eyes. “It’s not a date.” Poe raised an eyebrow. “Okay, it might be a date.”_

_Poe was chuckling as he unlocked the door to his room. “Have fun,” he waved, before disappearing through it. “Be safe!”_

_Ben was still shaking his head when he made it into his own room, depositing his bags by the bed. Poe knew. Thus far, he was the only one who did. There was no point in trying to keep it from him, not when they were traveling together and rooming next door. Besides, Poe was one of his closest friends and had easily picked up on Ben’s unusually chipper mood following that night more than two weeks earlier. He’d been with Poe near constantly since their return from space, at JSC seven days a week for debriefing and rehabilitation. Carpooling, too, as Poe’s wife had kindly driven them both back and forth for the ten or so days from when they were released home until they’d been cleared to drive._

_He took a few minutes to unpack, hanging up his dress clothes, before all but collapsing face first onto the bed. Reaching for his phone, he set an alarm, making sure to give himself plenty of time to shower before Hux picked him up._

_Hux._

_Yeah, that thought was going to make it hard to sleep._

 

\------------

 

_Ben stepped out of the hotel, scanning the cars in front of him. Although, admittedly, he had no idea what kind of car Hux drove. It was sunny and quite warm, likely over eighty, but it felt wonderfully pleasant to Ben, even dressed as he was in jeans and a button-down. It was easily ten to fifteen degrees cooler in Cologne than in Houston, with considerably less humidity._

_A honk drew his attention to a BMW pulling up to the curb. Once settled in the passenger seat, Ben grinned at the driver. “Nice car.”_

_Hux smirked. “Thanks.”_

_“I just got cleared to drive,” Ben admitted, thinking a tad wistfully of the Audi parked in his garage at home. “I missed it.”_

_Ben knew Hux had just come from work, and the other man was dressed accordingly, although he’d loosened his tie and rolled his shirt-sleeves up to the elbow. Ben found his eyes drawn to the Brit’s pale, lean hands, as Hux put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb._

_“Hungry?”_

_Ben nodded. “Starving.”_

_“Good, me too.” Hux glanced at him. ‘How was the flight over?”_

_“Fine.” Ben shrugged. “Just long. I slept some though, and more in the hotel, so I should hopefully not doze off on you this time.” He cracked a grin, and the corners of Hux’s mouth turned up._

_“You’d better not.”_

_Their one and only evening together, back in Houston, had ended semi-abruptly with Ben falling asleep in Hux’s arms. Hardly the worst way to end a day, and - for all of the teasing - he knew Hux hadn’t minded. Having said that, Ben was counting on being able to remember more of tonight. He’d awoken early that next morning to a note on the neighboring pillow. A phone number, complete with the needed international code, and two words: Call me._

_Ben had taken him up on the suggestion._

_“How do you feel about German food?” Hux’s voice interrupted his musings._

_Ben spread his hands. “When in Rome…” he quipped. Hux chuckled. “But seriously, that’s fine.”_

 

\------------

 

_Ben followed Hux into his apartment, pausing just over the threshold while the other man moved easily through the darkened space. Hux flicked on the lights, and Ben blinked at the sudden change. They had entered into an open plan living room and kitchen, with a hallway on the other side that Ben assumed led to one or more bedrooms. The apartment was simply, but nicely, decorated and very neat - no, immaculate. Typical Hux, he thought with a smirk._

_The other man noticed. Also typical. “What is so amusing?”_

_Ben couldn’t help it, the smirk morphed into a grin. “Thinking about how not-surprised I am that your apartment is this tidy.”_

_Hux shook his head with an amused chuckle. “Can I assume therefore that your place is considerably messier?”_

_“I’m not sure if I should be insulted.” Hux smirked, and Ben glared. “I’m not a slob, but I’m also not…anal.”_

_“Now who’s insulting who?” Hux retorted airily, rounding the island to fully enter the kitchen. “Can I get you anything?”_

_“Nah, I’m good. Thanks, though.” Hux had taken him to a restaurant specializing in local cuisine. The food had been delicious, as had the wine, and he’d had more than enough of both. Although Ben had been to Cologne before, it had always been for work, and he hadn’t taken full advantage of the opportunity to explore the city or its culture._

_He’d followed Hux into the kitchen without entirely meaning to and, when the other man turned from where he’d been filling a glass of water, they were suddenly standing quite close. Hux blinked, possibly in surprise, and Ben blushed._

_“I, uh-“ He tried, and then was struck completely silent by Hux’s hands settling on his hips._

_Hux smirked._

_Ben felt slightly off-kilter. He wasn’t sure how it was possible to feel so comfortable with someone, and at the same time so nervous. Hux always appeared calm and in control, while Ben felt like a teenager with a crush. He honestly couldn’t remember feeling quite this jittery about someone he’d liked since that age. Their conversation at dinner had been as natural as it had been on the ISS, which was something of a relief. Ben had been so out of it when they’d seen each other in Houston, he barely remembered what had been said, and before that it had been months._

_Hux closed the space between them, his lips hovering a breadth away from Ben’s. “Stop thinking.”_

_The Brit seemed to have realized that Ben’s mind had gone into overdrive, although the younger man had no idea how he knew. Then Hux’s lips were on his and he found himself doing exactly as instructed, if only because his brain had short-circuited._

_It was the first time they’d kissed since Houston, and it was every bit as perfect as Ben remembered. Suddenly overcome with a need to be touching Hux everywhere, he settled for one hand against the other man’s back and the other buried in his hair, quite deliberately mussing it out of place. Hux made a disgruntled noise into Ben’s mouth, nipping at his lower lip. When they finally parted for air, Hux’s hair was a mess, his lips swollen, and his pupils blown wide. Ben figured he looked about the same._

_“Come on.” The Brit’s voice sounded like it had dropped an octave, and Ben shivered as Hux threaded their fingers together and tugged him down the hall. Ben followed, marveling at the way Hux’s hand all but disappeared into his own, much larger, one._

_Hux’s bedroom was just as neat as the rest of the apartment. At the side of the bed, Ben tugged on the hand in his until Hux turned, and then pulled him into another searing kiss. Two pairs of hands fumbled for shirt buttons as their tongues tangled together. They parted again, just long enough to shrug out of their button-downs and pull each other’s undershirts off over their heads. Ben ran his fingers over the warm skin of Hux’s shoulders, drinking in the sight of him._

_“You’re beautiful,” he whispered. Hux was slight, but muscular, the definition of his abs giving way to the taut planes of his stomach._

_Hux smirked, a slight flush dusting across the top of his chest. “So are you.” He ran his hand down Ben’s chest, eyes tracking his own movement, pausing to lightly tweak at a nipple. Ben closed his eyes, as a shudder racked his body. “And I really want you in my bed.”_

_Ben’s eyes opened at that, all too aware of the heavy-lidded look he was giving Hux. The other man’s hands had drifted down to his belt buckle. Hux paused, meeting Ben’s eyes, and the answering smirk was all the confirmation he needed to undo Ben’s pants. He eased Ben’s jeans and boxers down, his eyes roaming appreciatively, and when he spoke his voice was even huskier than before._

_“On the bed.”_

_Ben had no problem doing as requested. He just didn’t want to turn around and miss anything, like Hux shucking off his own pants. Which was exactly what was happening as Ben scooted back onto the soft comforter, his eyes rooted to the other man. Their eyes met as Hux, finally naked, stepped towards the bed. The look on his face was just a bit predatory, and Ben couldn’t really blame him._

_He’d rather like to devour Hux, himself._

 

\------------

 

“Morning,” Ben greeted his fellow Capcom, taking a seat beside her in front of their designated console. It was just before seven in the morning, and Mission Control was abuzz with activity as the Orbit 2 shift arrived to take over from their colleagues on the overnight rotation.

Kaydel Connix looked up from where she’d been typing on one of the computers. “Hey, Ben.”

“How’d your shift go?”

“Good, good.” She leaned back in her chair, swiveling to face him. “Crew is on schedule with their activities for today, no major changes.” It was just about noon, station time, which meant they’d soon be breaking for lunch. Kaydel indicated one of the displays in front of them. “Here’s the plan for this afternoon - Rose has some maintenance tasks in Destiny and then Zvezda, Jess is tending a couple of experiments in Kibo, and Dopheld will be doing some physiological work in Columbus.”

The Expedition 68 prime crew had departed the previous day, which made this Jessika Pava’s second full day in command of the ISS and Expedition 69. Ben knew her fairly well, as he’d spent time training with her and her crew in preparation for supporting their mission. Hux knew her better, as they’d been in the same class at ESA; she was the fourth European commander, to Hux’s third, with nineteen months between their expeditions.

Rose Tico had been in Ben’s own astronaut class, and this was her first time on station; she’d had an even longer wait than he had for her first trip to space. Like him, she was an engineer by training, and one of the kindest people Ben had ever worked with. He’d met Dopheld Mitaka, of Japan, for the first time about a year before; the other man seemed easy-going and unassuming. The trio had fallen into a comfortable rhythm during their training, which Ben knew would prove invaluable on the ISS.

“Want to take over?” Kaydel asked, lifting off the headset. “I’ll finish up my notes, and then we can review anything else?”

“Sure.” Ben nodded. They swapped places, and he put on the headset, adjusting it for better comfort. He would, after all, be wearing it for the next nine hours. He took a sip of his coffee, as the familiar hum of several communications channels filled his ears.

Next to him, Kaydel was diligently logging the details of her shift. He smiled. This was only the second day on this assignment, for both of them, but it was Kaydel’s first ever stint as Capcom. From the astronaut class of 2017, she’d certified to work on console around the time Ben returned from space. She hadn’t yet been on station herself, but she’d very recently been announced as a flight engineer for an expedition in early 2024; she’d start her mission training just after the new year. A lack of personal experience on the ISS could sometimes be a disadvantage for a Capcom, but she’d worked hard to become familiar with both the station and the crew currently onboard. Ben thought she’d do great.

Kaydel was on the Orbit 1 shift, which ran from eleven PM until eight the next morning. The younger flight controllers often volunteered for - or got stuck with - the graveyard shifts. His shift overlapped with hers by one hour, giving them time to debrief. In the past, Ben had best liked the Orbit 3 shift, from three PM until midnight, as he preferred late nights to early mornings. At the moment, however, his daytime shift aligned almost perfectly with Hux’s workday, which enabled them to carpool to work and, you know, spend time together.

Hux spent most of his time in the Astronaut Office in Building Four, just across a small green space from Mission Control. As ESA Astronaut Representative to NASA, fifty percent of his time was spent on joint NASA-ESA projects. This might include designing improvements to the ISS’ Columbus Lab, which was European operated, but would potentially require US astronaut manpower and/or US-run spacewalks to accomplish, or collaboration on future deep space exploration. For the other fifty percent of his time, Hux was treated like any other NASA astronaut not training for a mission. He was currently primarily working in the ISS Operations Branch and could potentially be assigned as Capcom or in another support role in the future. He’d recently been asked to be a T-38 flight instructor for the newest class of AsCans, or astronaut candidates, who’d officially joined the space program in July. He’d begin that assignment in January; although Hux wasn’t prone to outbursts of excitement, Ben knew he was thrilled.

“Houston, Station.” Rose’s voice came through the com, and Ben checked to make sure he was on the space-to-ground loop. While he could hear multiple channels at once, he could only speak on one at a time.

“Hey, Rose.”

“Oh, hey, Ben,” she sounded cheerful. “Good morning to you in Houston. I’m just having lunch, but I was looking ahead on the schedule. I’m supposed to be updating the software on one of the Destiny systems, but I have a question about the configuration-“

He listened to her explanation, jotting down a couple of notes. “Let me clarify with CRONUS,” he replied, referencing the team that oversaw the station’s computers. “What’s for lunch?”

“Chicken with salsa,” she told him. “It’s actually pretty good.”

Ben chuckled. “Well, you take a break and enjoy that, and I’ll get an answer for you.”

“Thanks, Ben,” Rose replied, as he flipped channels to address the CRONUS flight controller. “I appreciate it.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Flight, ETHOS. We have one sensor showing a pressure increase in water coolant loop A-“

In addition to the ever-critical space-to-ground loop, Ben listened in on a number of other Mission Control channels, including the Flight Director loop. A lot of the information could - and should - filter past him without much notice, but that particular comment caught his attention.

“Station, Houston.” Ben spoke into the com. It was about a week into Jess’ command, and they’d finished the evening Daily Planning Conference not even thirty minutes before, the crew now free to eat dinner and relax for the night. He wouldn’t typically communicate with them again for the rest of his shift unless something was wrong. “We’re seeing a pressure increase in water loop A-“

“Copy, Houston.” Jess’ voice reached him before he’d even finished speaking. “The alarm just sounded. Executing boldface procedure.”

“Copy that.” Ben flipped a switch on his console, which would allow him to talk on the Flight Director loop. In the next console, Amilyn Holdo was already looking his way. “Flight, Capcom. Station has begun boldface procedure.”

She nodded. “Copy, Capcom. ETHOS, what are we seeing from the other sensors? And what about cabin pressure?”

“Flight, only one sensor is showing an increase, the others are holding steady. Cabin pressure and oxygen levels are nominal.” A pause. “It could be instrumentation.”

Instrumentation. As in, a malfunctioning sensor, and thus the best possible scenario. Worst case? A major leak of toxic ammonia into the ISS’ living space, one of the biggest crises that could occur on station.

“Houston, Station.” Dopheld Mitaka’s voice came over the space to ground loop, and Ben flipped back on to that channel, in anticipation of needing to respond. “Jess and Rose have closed the Node 1 hatch. All crew accounted for. They are currently in the PMA removing their clothing. I was in Zvezda at the time of the alarm.”

“Copy, Station.” Per protocol, Jess and Rose would have put on oxygen masks, triggered the toxic atmosphere alarm in the US segment, and then immediately evacuated to the Russian side. The PMA was the Pressurized Mating Adapter that connected Node 1 - Unity - to the Russian Zarya module. The two women would have to leave their clothing there, in order to avoid any ammonia contamination of the Russian segment, and then they would seal the hatch between the PMA and Zarya.

“Flight, SPARTAN. The ammonia level in loop A has not decreased. That corroborates ETHOS’ suggestion of instrumentation as opposed to an actual leak.”

Ben felt a tiny bit of relief. Jointly, ETHOS and SPARTAN were responsible for the space station’s cooling system. ETHOS oversaw all interior environmental systems, such as water and air, including the two water loops that collected waste heat from the ISS’ many electronics. SPARTAN controlled two loops that performed a similar function on the exterior of the station, filled with ammonia instead of water. Each water loop interfaced with one of ammonia loops via several heat exchangers, so that waste heat from the interior of the station could be passed to the outside and radiated into space. Increased pressure in the water loop could indicate a leak of the higher pressure ammonia, but the fact that all but one sensor reported normal conditions was reassuring.

“Copy that, SPARTAN,” Holdo affirmed.

“Flight, ETHOS. We’re seeing some odd fluctuations in temperature in Moderate Temp IFHX, Node 2-Columbus, where the sensor indicating increased pressure is also located. Temperature is within a safe range, no indication of a leak. Early reports indicate instrumentation, but we’ll need a full diagnostic to confirm-“

“Ben.” Mitaka again. In the midst of such chaos, it took all of Ben’s concentration to keep track of the various information and make determinations on what to pass on to the station crew or to Holdo. “PMA hatch is sealed. Rose is in the Falcon. Crew are all fine.”

Ben confirmed, then flipped channels again. “Flight, Capcom.”

Holdo met his eyes. “Go.”

“All three crew are in the Russian segment, both Node 1 and PMA hatches are sealed. Rose is in the Falcon, and the crew are fine.” He said that last bit as much for the benefit of the Flight Surgeon as anyone else. The Surgeon was seated just behind him and had been vocal on the Flight Director loop, no doubt concerned by the prospect of the astronauts having been exposed to ammonia.

He thought he saw Holdo exhale a little breath of relief. “Copy, Ben. Ensure they’re proceeding with testing for ammonia in both the Falcon and the Russian segment.” She got to her feet, her attention shifting towards the front of the room. “Attention, flight controllers.” The typical hum of voices noticeably abated, as everyone listened carefully to her words over the Flight Director loop. “See FCOH toxic atmosphere procedure, page two-point-three-dash-six.”

Ben was already flipping to the correct page. The FCOH was the Flight Controllers Operational Handbook, the bible of all Mission Control procedures. The boldface that Jess had referred to was called such as it was literally bolded text. He hadn’t needed to ask her if she knew the steps; boldface were actions critical to survival and were always memorized.

Holdo was still addressing the team. “The crew has safely evacuated the US segment and is testing for ammonia contamination on the Russian side. We suspect instrumentation, but we need to get this right. Check to ensure you’ve completed any necessary steps, get a hold of your support teams, whoever you need, and let’s work the problem.”

The volume increased again as everyone got to work, conferring with their teams and across the various communication channels. This was not the first time the US segment had been evacuated due to a potential ammonia leak, which had fortunately never come to fruition, but every such situation was given the thorough attention it deserved.

Ben took a deep breath.

“Station, Houston.” He addressed the onboard crew. “Our early reports are suggesting a possible false alarm. We’re seeing some atypical behavior from an IFHX, but nothing to indicate an actual leak. We’ll keep you updated as things progress, and - in the meantime - proceed with testing for ammonia on the Russian side.”

It was Jess who answered him this time. “Already on it, Ben.” As he’d known she would be. He felt for her, to have a situation like this in her first week of command. Even if there was a leak, the Russian segment shouldn’t be affected, aside from any cross-contamination before they sealed the hatch — it had an entirely separate cooling system. “Rose is testing in the Falcon, and Doph and I are testing in the ROS. Initial results are nominal, we’ll test every thirty minutes per protocol.”

“Okay,” Ben agreed. “Copy that.”

 

\------------

 

_“You like him.” When exactly Phasma had sidled up beside Ben, he wasn’t sure, but now she was nodding across the living room to where Hux was deep in conversation with Poe and another NASA astronaut._

_Ben gave her a look.”You know that I do.”_

_And she did. Ben hadn’t even had to tell her, Hux had apparently beaten him to it. The two of them had remained close friends after their mission, or so Ben had discovered when Phasma accosted him in the parking lot of JSC, demanding to know why he hadn’t told her about their ‘budding romance’. He was pretty sure those were her words, he couldn’t imagine Hux saying such a thing. Honestly, the fact that Hux had said anything at all was surprising and more than a little touching._

_As Phasma well knew, the main reason they’d kept their whatever-exactly-it-was largely quiet was because neither of them had yet disclosed it to their employers. Given that they had the potential for working together again in the future, they ought to, but it felt a bit early days for any declarations._

_“He likes you, too.” Phasma’s voice was quiet in his ear._

_Ben smiled. “I know.”_

_Excited chattering preceded Lucy Dameron entering the living room, making a beeline for her father. She said something to him and he laughed, ruffling her hair, before she skipped away again, skirting the handful of other adults scattered around the open space. It had been pure coincidence that the Damerons’ summer barbecue had fallen on the same weekend that Hux was in town, and Poe had merely offered a sly smile when Ben inquired if he could bring a plus one. Hux had been game. Barbecues at Poe’s were always worth attending, even if the heat had driven everyone inside the house._

_Hux glanced over his shoulder, catching Ben’s eye with a smirk. Phasma chuckled._

_“He’s caught you checking him out.”_

_Ben shrugged. “I’m always checking him out.” Especially since he could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen Hux wearing jeans. The man looked… really good. He looked good in dress clothes, too. He could wear the hell out of a suit, while Ben always felt a bit like a child playing dress up. Come to think of it, Hux looked good in just about anything… or nothing._

_Ben was so, so fucked._

_“I’m happy for you, Kylo.” Phasma linked their arms, leaning her head close to his. “For both of you. You’re good for him.”_

_His eyes shifted to her. “You think so?”_

_They hadn’t been seeing each other all that long, really, he and Hux, and they certainly hadn’t discussed any labels or statuses or parameters. It had been a month since the few nights they’d spent together in Cologne, and this trip was the first time Ben had seen him since then. This was also the first time that either of them had visited the other purely for that purpose and not because it overlapped with a work obligation. Hux had simply taken a few days off and flown over. Ben had less flexibility in his schedule, having only very recently been absorbed back into the Astronaut Office post mission, but he’d rearranged a bit to give himself as much free time as possible._

_She nodded. “He smiles more than he used to. It’s not rocket science.” She gave him a squeeze. “He’s good for you, too, you know.”_

 

\------------

 

_It was quite late by the time they made it back to Ben’s house. They were stuffed to the gills with food and a couple of beers each, so went straight into the getting ready for bed routine, moving around each other with a surprisingly domesticated ease._

_Ben came out of the bathroom, teeth newly brushed, to find Hux already climbing under the covers in nothing but a pair of briefs. It was nice, having Hux in his house. He’d bought the property four years earlier, a modest three-bedroom in the Clear Lake area of Houston, only miles from JSC. It was home. It had seen a myriad of his friends over the years, plus some family, and the occasional overnight guest, but nothing felt quite so right as Hux lying in his bed, watching him approach with lazy but ever-sharp eyes._

_Ben climbed in the opposite side, sliding under the sheet. Hux rolled to face him, one hand tucked under his head and the other stretching out to trace an absent pattern over Ben’s skin._

_“Thanks for coming tonight,” Ben murmured._

_Hux gave a nod. “I like Poe.”_

_“It’s hard not to like Poe.”_

_A ghost of a smile flickered over Hux’s face. “S’ true.”_

_“It’ll be my turn to visit you next,” Ben said, almost cautiously, and was rewarded when Hux’s smile returned, softer this time. The smile he’d only ever seen directed at him._

_“I’d like that. We’ll have to figure out when,” Hux added. “I’m on console starting in September.”_

_The Columbus Control Center, located just outside of Munich in Oberpfaffenhofen, had a Eurocom position similar to JSC’s Capcom. As Munich was only responsible for supporting operations in the ISS’ Columbus lab, the Eurocom was only on console during the onboard crew’s waking hours, as opposed to the 24/7 Capcom rotation in Houston. Nevertheless, it was a full-time gig for three months, and one typically assigned to astronauts, who knew best how to interface with their counterparts on station._

_There was a secondary Eurocom console at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, which meant that Hux wouldn’t need to be physically present in Munich for the entirety of the assignment. He could work at EAC and live at home at least some of the time, although Ben imagined he’d be doing lot of traveling back and forth._

_Ben could sympathize. In the seven years he’d been an astronaut, he’d spent various lengths of time in Germany, Russia, Japan, and at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida._

_“I can come to Munich just as easily, if need be,” Ben pointed out. The European Space Agency would undoubtedly arrange some kind of accommodation there for Hux for when he was required to be at the Columbus Control Center._

_“We’ll sort it out.” Hux yawned, closing his eyes and tucking his head against the pillow. “I’m tired,” he mumbled._

_“Too much food?” Ben offered, scooting closer. “Or maybe you’re just getting old.”_

_Hux cracked one eye open. “Watch it.” He accompanied the words with a pinch to Ben’s ribs, that absolutely did not result in an undignified squeak from the younger man._

_Hux smirked._

_Ben ran one hand down Hux’s side, reaching the waistband of his briefs and venturing lower. The other man couldn’t quite contain the groan, his eyelids fluttering. Ben grinned in triumph._

_“Still tired?”_

_Holding gazes for a long moment, Hux then hooked a leg over Ben’s and rolled himself fully on top in one smooth motion. Encircling Hux in his arms, Ben pulled him down into a fierce kiss._

_Perhaps they wouldn’t be sleeping for awhile yet._

 

\------------

 

When Ben left Flight Control Room 1 at the end of his shift, things were about the same. Neither the Russian segment nor the Falcon had shown any indication of ammonia contamination, so the crew had been permitted to remove their oxygen masks, although they continued to periodically test the air. The US segment was still sealed off, while the teams on the ground worked to confirm if the situation had in fact been caused by a false alarm. Even in that best case scenario, it would likely be hours before Jess, Rose and Dopheld were permitted to reenter the rest of the station.

When Larma D’Acy had arrived to begin her Capcom shift at three in the afternoon, she’d listened to Ben’s account of everything that had occurred and then took his place on console with the sort of quiet efficiency that was very reassuring. D’Acy was astronaut class of 2004 and a veteran of the ISS; she wasn’t phased by much. Her shift occurred during the overnight hours for the astronauts on station and was thus primarily focused on planning for the next day. Ben thought her shift tonight would be a little less relaxed than usual, and he didn’t imagine his colleagues on orbit would be getting a whole lot of sleep.

Holdo caught his arm as he headed past her console towards the door at just past four. The flight director and all of the flight controllers followed the same shift schedule, so she had just handed off responsibility of the ISS to the next shift’s director, Moden Canady.

“Briefing in 4-N at 4:30.”

“I’ll be there.” Ben hadn’t expected to go home. Truthfully, even if he wasn’t needed, he didn’t think he could stand sitting at home while his friends and colleagues were in potential danger on station. Everything pointed to a false alarm, but he wouldn’t rest easy until it was confirmed. He left FCR 1 and then the building, heading down the path that would take him to Building Four.

He glanced up at 4-S as he crossed the park, wondering if he had time to stop by the Astronaut Office. Probably not. Besides, there was a strong possibility that Hux, and their other astronaut colleagues, were already over in 4-N. They would have undoubtedly been briefed already, given that the US segment evacuation had been going on for over an hour.

The main briefing room in 4-N was crowded, as he’d expected. Ben spotted many of his fellow flight controllers from the Orbit 2 shift, a few from the shift that would begin at eleven PM, who had evidently been called in early, and members of their various support teams. There were astronauts there, too: among them, Poe, sitting next to one of the ETHOS guys, and Hux, leaning against the far wall. Ben decided against navigating the crowded space to stand next to his boyfriend, as much as he wished to.

Spotting him, Hux mouthed: “You okay?”

Ben shrugged and nodded.

Hux straightened up, possibly intending to walk over, but just then Holdo came through the door behind Ben.

“Alright, everyone,” she called over the murmured conversations, walking briskly to the front of the room and turning to face them. “You’ve all been briefed, but here’s a recap. Earlier this afternoon, a sensor in one of the heat exchangers showed a pressure increase in the water loop, which can indicate an ammonia leak. Per protocol, the crew evacuated the US segment and are in good condition. We’re exploring the possibility of a likely false alarm, and Canady and his team will continue that work over the next few hours. Who else has updates?”

A gentleman towards the front, whom Ben knew to be part of the ETHOS team, spoke up. “Our data indicates some abnormal behavior in the Moderate Temp IFHX that supports Columbus, which is where the sensor in question is located. We’ll know more in a few hours, but we may need to consider that it will need to be repaired or replaced.”

“That will obviously have implications for experimental data,” a woman near Ben added. She was the ISO flight controller on his shift, responsible for all US cargo on board, including those related to experiments. “If we’re looking at a power outage to Columbus of longer than eight hours, we’ll need to begin considering what samples may be compromised.”

It seemed a bit odd to Ben to be so concerned about the status of tubes of blood and containers of microbes when human lives could potentially be at risk, but it was the job of the ISO team to be focused on precisely that. As the hub of European research on station, and where most physiological experiments occurred, Columbus contained many sensitive samples. Damaged experimental data could translate into considerable dollars lost for both NASA and ESA.

“We’ll have to deal with that when the time comes,” Holdo replied. “But, in the interim, it would be helpful to review a list of what experiments would be impacted, both in terms of loss of samples and of work time.” The last was said with a nod to the OPSPLAN team, who oversaw short-term crew planning. Several people jotted down notes.

Another woman across the room began speaking. “We’re in contact with Roscosmos regarding how long the Russian segment can support the entire crew. They’re still working up a final number, but - for a full crew - it’s estimated at about eight to ten days. Longer right now, with only three, but the additional three crew will be arriving soon.”

“In three days.” Ben turned at the voice from the back of the room. A sharply dressed man stood against the back wall; Ben knew that he was from the Flight Operations Directorate. “The Expedition 70 crew launches in three days. They’re already in quarantine at Kennedy. We need to consider if we should proceed with launch under the circumstances.”

That comment had everybody talking. Ben stared at the man in shock. He couldn’t be serious.

“We can’t scrub the launch,” one of the other astronauts protested. “We’re going to need those guys on station if we need a spacewalk-“

“Two of them are rookies,” the man from FOD pointed out. “And the Russian segment can only support a full crew for, what was it, eight to ten days? If this was a false alarm, that’s one thing, but we need to evaluate the risk of launching two rookies - or any astronaut - to a space station that is experiencing a major systems malfunction. If there _is_ an ammonia leak, it’s a safety risk and a public relations nightmare-“

“Public relations is not the issue here!” Someone else fired back. Ben wished he could say something, anything, to explain why scrubbing the launch was a terrible idea. But he was fuming and didn’t entirely trust himself to open his mouth.

Poe stood up. “We need the launch,” he said firmly. Ben internally sighed with relief. While Poe was also occasionally prone to emotive outbursts, he was far more articulate than Ben, even while stressed or upset. “We’re likely looking at one of three scenarios.” He ticked them off on his fingers. “One, false alarm requiring a minor fix, everything’s fine. Two, a major fix that will require a spacewalk, in which case we’ll need a full crew. Two outside and at least two in.” He took a breath. “On the off-chance it’s a real leak… no point speculating about that until we know for sure.”

The implications of that were left unsaid, but hung heavy in the air. Even a small leak could quickly become a large one, as the high pressure ammonia blasted its way through the water loops and the station itself. Even if the leak was stopped, the ISS air scrubbers would be no match for that amount of ammonia, and that was assuming the station hadn’t been irrevocably damaged by the sudden change in pressure.

“We need to consider all options,” Holdo acknowledged. Poe looked ready to object, and she held up a hand. “But Poe is right. Scrubbing the launch should be a last resort.”

“I agree.” Edrison Peavey, who had been quiet up until this point, spoke up. An experienced Flight Director, he would be helming the White FCR, which oversaw Falcon operations, during the upcoming launch. “Scrubbing the launch only makes sense in the case of a leak, which seems reasonably unlikely at this point. And while there will be two rookies on board,” he said this with a nod towards the rep from FOD. “Snap Wexley is commanding, and he’s an experienced spacewalker. He can support an EVA on his first day on station, if need be.”

“We have three days,” Holdo reminded everyone. “And we should know by morning what we’re looking at. Then we can evaluate the options.”

 

\------------

 

Ben had to work hard not to storm out of the briefing room, deliberately heading in the opposite direction to most everyone else. He needed a minute to himself. He hadn’t realized how tightly wound he’d been in the FCR, on console when the crisis first emerged, and the discussion about scrubbing the launch had tipped him over the edge. They couldn’t. They just couldn’t. Even the knowledge that Holdo and Peavey were approaching things very rationally was not helping his state of mind.

He was leaning against the wall near a restroom, heels of his palms pressed against his eyes. He felt more than heard the presence in front of him, and he knew it was Hux. Cool fingers wrapped around his wrists and pulled his hands away from his face. Hux’s eyes met his; the other man’s face was a mixture of fondness and concern.

“Okay?”

Ben shook his head. “No. The fucking FOD and their public relations concerns-“

Hux actually smirked. “Well, that is their job. And they’re thinking about safety, too, you know that.” The FOD was senior management, and thus involved in decisions concerning cost or public appearance. They could not, however, overrule the Flight Director during a mission, as the latter had the final say on any safety-of-flight issues.

“They can’t scrub the launch, Hux.” Ben was holding on to the front of Hux’s suit jacket now. He wasn’t entirely sure when that had happened. “They just can’t. They can’t-“

“I know. I know.” Hux soothed. “And they know that. You heard Holdo. I doubt they’d even really consider it unless there’s evidence of toxicity.”

Hux was right. Ben knew, rationally, that no one at JSC would prefer that the launch didn’t go forward. But the idea that it might not terrified him. Scrubbing the launch due to the current situation on station was like saying the problem was unsolvable, that six astronauts with all of their skill couldn’t fix it. That it wasn’t safe for three more astronauts to launch and that maybe the others would need to come home, too. However unlikely it might be, Ben couldn’t imagine having to abandon the ISS.

Hux’s hands had settled on Ben’s waist, his thumbs rubbing circles against the younger man’s sides. The contact and his words were reassuring, and Ben slowly began to relax. Hux was the only person who could get away with anything resembling an attempt to calm Ben down without getting his head bitten off. He was frighteningly good at it.

Ben closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Do you need to stay?”

Ben took another breath, then opened his eyes to meet his boyfriend’s blue ones. “Yeah. Kaydel’s coming in early, and I offered to bring her up to speed.”

“I assumed as much,” Hux agreed. “And truthfully, I don’t think you’d be terribly good at sitting at home while all of this is going on.”

Ben actually huffed a laugh at that. How well Hux knew him, these days. “You wouldn’t, either,” he countered, a bit teasingly, feeling a bit of the weight lifting.

Hux inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Well, I’m not going anywhere, myself,” he confessed. “ESA’s going to want an update first thing tomorrow on any impact to Columbus. And we thought we’d review the spacewalking procedures related to cooling system repairs, so we have a handle on what’s been done and what hasn’t, assuming it comes to that.”

Ben nodded. “It’s a good idea.”

Hux smirked, but his eyes were warm as he took Ben’s hand and stepped away from the wall. “Another good idea is to go home and get a change of clothes, maybe pick up some food. We can be back within the hour. Unless you’re needed straightaway?”

“No.” Ben shook his head. “I’ve got a little bit of time.” He squeezed Hux’s hand. “Let’s do it.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the kind comments! I'm glad folks are enjoying the flashbacks... as much as I love the space program stuff, it was also really fun to explore Ben and Hux's relationship. A little bit of relationship drama in this chapter (but only a little).

When Ben’s alarm went off at six AM, he blinked blearily, glancing around the dimly lit space. He’d spent the past six or so hours on a cot in one of JSC’s multipurpose rooms, still mostly dressed. But at least he’d managed some sleep. He, Hux, Poe and a few other astronauts had spent most of the evening camped out in the Astronaut Office’s conference room, reviewing spacewalking procedures and trying to stay updated on the situation on station. At around ten the previous night, Houston time, the crew had been given the all clear to return to the US segment, which was great news. As it was the middle of the night on station, actually reentering the evacuated modules had been delayed until early morning so the astronauts could get a bit of sleep.

Ben and Hux had briefly considered heading home, but ended up opting for the inflatable mattresses at JSC. Hux wanted to check in with Munich before turning in, the time difference making it early morning in Germany, and Ben had to be on console early. Besides, there was always the chance that something could come up when the astronauts reentered the US side or in the root cause investigation, and Ben certainly felt better being close at hand to help however he could.

He sat up, stretching. The cot beside him, empty when he’d fallen asleep, was now occupied by Hux. Ben smiled softly at the sight of the other man, sprawled on his back in his trousers and undershirt, still asleep, with his hair falling across his forehead. He’d taken off his dress shirt before lying down, and it was draped over a chair behind him; only Hux would be concerned with wrinkling his clothes while on an unexpected overnight at his workplace.

Ben got to his feet, careful not to make much noise and thus wake any of the room’s sleeping occupants. They were hardly the only ones who’d stayed the night. Grabbing his bag from the floor, he tiptoed out the door and headed for the bathroom. First up: change of shirt and brushing his teeth. Then: coffee.

When he returned twenty or so minutes later, carrying two hot beverages and a small bag of bagels, Hux was sitting up, looking as thought he’d very recently awoken. Ben paused in the doorway, lifting the cup of tea in invitation. The corner of Hux’s mouth turned up, and he got to his feet, retrieving his own bag before following Ben from the room.

In the quiet hallway, Ben handed his boyfriend the cup of tea, watching his eyes slide closed at the first warm sip. Ben understood; he felt more or less the same about his coffee.

“I love you.”

“You love tea,” Ben teased.

Hux smirked. “And you.” He leaned forward and pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to Ben’s lips.

Ben wanted nothing more than to crawl into Hux’s arms and stay there all day. Yesterday had been stressful. Today would hopefully be considerably less so, but he was operating on a not-optimal amount of rest. He’d missed sleeping entwined with the other man, but that just wasn’t possible on twin sized cots, nor at work.

“Did you get much sleep?”

“Enough,” Hux replied. He’d gone to bed later than Ben, having practically shooed the younger man towards the cots with the reminder that he had to be on console early in the morning. It had been hard to wind down after all the adrenaline of the afternoon and evening, but Ben had to concede the point. He was just glad Hux had also managed some rest.

“I’m going to check in upstairs before heading to the FCR.”

Hux nodded. “I’ll be right behind you.” He hefted his bag. “Just going to change quick.”

Hux arrived in the Astronaut Office only five minutes after Ben, hair neatly combed and looking for all the world like he hadn’t just spent a night on an inflatable cot. The office was still quiet, many of their team still asleep; Poe was alone in the conference room, reviewing some notes.

He glanced up when they came in.

“What’s the latest?” Ben asked.

Poe made a face that was half-grin, half-grimace. “Good news: the crew reentered the US side at seven AM station time, clean air, no ammonia, pressure gauges normal.” Ben sighed with relief. “Bad news: about two hours ago, the wonky heat exchanger from yesterday gave up the ghost - looks like hardware malfunction, which is probably what caused the sensor to give a false reading. It’s fully shut down, as is most of Columbus, excepting life support systems.”

“Shit.” Hux exhaled, taking a seat beside Poe.

“I guess you’ll be hearing from Munich this morning,” Ben offered, trying to inject some levity into a rather serious situation. While there was no danger to the crew, loss of the heat exchanger meant that most systems in Columbus, including everything related to physiological experiments, would be unusable until the exchanger was fixed.

“I’m surprised I haven’t already,” Hux retorted, pulling his phone from his pocket and peering at it. “But I was also thinking about repairs.”

Ben thought back to the night before. They’d reviewed past spacewalking procedures for any repairs to the cooling system-

“A heat exchanger hasn’t been replaced on station for fifteen years.” Poe voiced what they were all thinking.

“Columbus and Kibo didn’t even exist then,” Ben realized.

Poe sighed, glancing up from the papers on the table in front of him. “Yeah. For all intents and purposes, it’s basically never been done.”

Hux glanced between them. “It’s going to be a long day, gentlemen.” He got to his feet. “I might as well speak to Munich before things really get going here.” He reached for Ben’s hand as he passed, briefly squeezing. “I’ll see you later.”

“You can count on it,” Ben quipped, and Hux smirked. “Good luck.”

When Hux had disappeared through the door, heading to his desk for what would undoubtedly be a long call with the European Space Agency, Ben turned back to Poe. “I have to get over to the FCR. Did you manage any sleep?”

Poe shrugged. “Yeah, a bit. I was woken up when the IFHX went down.” Poe was currently assigned to the ISS Operations branch, alongside Hux, and was running point on that team’s involvement in the current crisis. Given that the Operations branch touched everything that the astronauts did while on station, it was no small task. “Give the crew my best, I know it’s been a rough night for them.”

Ben nodded. “Will do.”

 

\------------

 

_Ben Solo was stressed._

_Really stressed. And frustrated, and anxious, and worried, and upset, and at least a little bit annoyed._

_Things had been going so well._

_Hux had stayed for four nights, back in August. They’d gone to a barbecue at Poe’s, and eaten out, and stayed in. They’d talked and laughed and teased each other endlessly. And they’d had a lot of sex._

_When Hux had returned to Germany, it had been with the promise that they’d see each other soon. Ben would go to Cologne, or possibly Munich, just as soon as he could get a few days off._

_That had been seven weeks ago._

_At first, they’d kept up the regular communication they’d established after Ben’s last trip to Germany, texts and Skype conversations. Then Hux had been tied up with starting his assignment at the Columbus Control Center, and Ben understood. Their jobs were demanding, with long hours and unpredictable schedules, and they were working around a considerable time difference. A couple of missed Skype dates didn’t bother him._

_Repeated missed Skype dates did._

_Hux was apologetic, of course, and seemed happy enough to chat when they did manage to catch one another. But those moments seemed rarer and rarer. Ben had gotten clearance for a brief time off, and Hux seemed enthused, but when it came to coordinating actual dates, he was evasive._

_So when the familiar ringtone beeped on one rare Saturday morning, with Hux’s name flashing across the screen, Ben was a little pissed._

_“Oh, you’re still alive,” was his greeting._

_Hux frowned. Ben distantly noted that the other man looked a bit tired. Perhaps he should feel bad for being obviously antagonistic, but his irritation overrode any guilt._

_“What’s the matter with you?” The Brit’s tone had a slight edge to it._

_“Just surprised to hear from you, is all.” Ben waved a hand dismissively. “It’s a rare occurrence these days.”_

_Hux’s jaw tensed. Ben could see it even through the screen. “You’re mad at me.”_

_“Excellent observation skills.”_

_The other man sighed. “Look, Ben, I’m sorry, but you know things have been crazy here. With starting the rotation in Munich-“_

_“Nearly a month ago.”_

_Hux plowed on. “And being on console all week-“_

_“But not on weekends.”_

_“I haven’t exactly had a lot of free time, Ben.”_

_Ben huffed. “Well, you’re certainly not using it to keep in touch with me.”_

_“You’re being unreasonable.” Hux’s tone made it sound rather like he was trying to talk sense into a small child._

_“No, I’m really not.” Ben countered, his voice increasing in volume. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that you should return my texts, or call me more than once in two weeks-"_

_“You know what my career is like, Ben,” Hux replied. “If you don’t like it-“_

_“Don’t you do that.” Ben was yelling now and not at all sorry about it. Hux was as unruffled as ever, and it only made him angrier. “Don’t you give me that condescending bullshit like I don’t understand your job, Hux.”_

_“Ben-“_

_“No.” Ben shouted over him. “I’m working twelve hour days at JSC. I don’t ask you to Skype with me when I get home, because it would be the middle of the fucking night in Germany. I’m trying to make some fucking plans to come visit you, but you just keep giving me bullshit.”_

_“It’s not bullshit,” Hux argued. “It’s just not a good time-“_

_“There is never a good time!” Ben pushed back. “Either you want me to visit or you don’t.”_

_“It’s not that simple-“_

_“It IS that simple!” Ben roared, slamming his hand down on the table. His laptop shook. “Fuck, I don’t even know-“ He got up abruptly, toppling his chair as he went, and stormed down the hall._

_When he returned ten minutes later, he righted his chair and dropped heavily into it. Hux was still connected to Skype, and the other man eyed him a tad warily._

_“I thought you’d gone.”_

_Ben shook his head. “No. Just needed to blow off some steam.” He took a deep breath. “I have a bit of a temper, you might have noticed.”_

_Hux actually smirked. “Duly noted. I’m not surprised, truthfully.”_

_Ben frowned at the camera. “What is that supposed to mean?”_

_“You forget I know you as well as I do.”_

_Ben huffed. “Yeah. Look, I’m- I’m sorry.” He wasn’t very good at apologies, but he hadn’t actually meant to totally lose his shit._

_“I’m sorry, too,” Hux confessed. “I’m not trying to make you feel like I’m not interested.”_

_“Then what are you trying to do?”_

_Hux blinked. After a long moment, he said: “I’m not very good at this. Talking about this stuff.”_

_Ben almost smiled. He could understand that, and he appreciated the honesty. “It’d be easier if you were here. Or I was there.”_

_“Come over. To Germany.”_

_It was Ben’s turn to blink. “All that, and now I’m invited?” He smiled, a tad awkwardly, hoping Hux would know he was teasing. Mostly._

_“I never didn’t want you to come, Ben,” Hux said softly. “I just- oh, I don’t know. Just… come visit.”_

_“Okay,” Ben agreed. “Okay.”_

 

\------------

 

_It was another two weeks before he was on his way to Munich. Short-notice flights were pricey, but this was important, and the two weeks dragged on as it was. Hux had made a considerable effort at more frequent communication, and they’d talked things out a bit, but it would be easier in person. Hopefully._

_Ben couldn’t quite quell his nervousness as he arrived at Hux’s building. Ridiculous really, the man wasn’t even home. It was only the middle of the day, and he’d be on console until early evening. Plenty of time for Ben to sleep, or to mull over what he might say once they were finally together. He hoped that this trip would give them a chance to work things out, but he was terrified it’d all be for nothing._

_Hux had arranged for Ben to collect a key at the front desk, and he let himself into the familiar apartment. He meandered the space, looking at the artwork on the walls, the few photos lining a bookshelf. While Hux was hardly prone to knickknacks or extensive decorating, the apartment somehow felt distinctly his. After using the restroom, and gulping down a glass of water, Ben stretched out on the couch and flicked on the TV. Something to occupy his mind._

_He awoke some time later to cool fingers brushing over his cheek. He pried his bleary eyes open to see Hux perched on the edge of the couch beside him, a soft smile on his face._

_“You could’ve used the bed.”_

_Ben stretched. “Wasn’t intending to fall asleep.” Hux’s fingers were still against his cheek, and he turned his head to kiss the other man’s palm._

_Hux traced the pad of one finger along Ben’s jaw, watching him with a careful, but warm, expression. Now more fully awake, Ben felt the anxiety of earlier return. What was Hux thinking right now? What was going to happen between them? Had it all been a misunderstanding or was this the beginning of the end? After all, Hux had told him to visit-_

_“You’re doing it again.”_

_Ben came back to the moment to find Hux watching him, fond amusement evident in his expression. “Doing what?”_

_“Thinking too much. I can practically see the thoughts whirring.”_

_“You always seem to know what I’m thinking,” Ben observed. “But I don’t. With you, I mean. It’s hard to tell, sometimes, you’re more…”_

_“Guarded?” Hux offered, with a smirk._

_Ben nodded, sitting up. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against Hux’s shoulder. A hand carded through his hair, gently tugging._

_“I’m not as emotive as you are,” Hux admitted, after a moment. “I think that’s at least partly to blame for our recent difficulties.”_

_Ben sighed. “If we’re going to have this conversation now,” he asserted. “I’m going to need some coffee.”_

 

\------------

 

_They made coffee, and then dinner. It was well into the evening, Hux was hungry post-shift, and Ben hadn’t eaten since that morning. Dinner was a more quiet affair than usual; not awkward, just ponderous. They’d somehow come to the unspoken agreement that they’d refuel before discussing anything serious, and - once the dishes were tidied - Hux pulled out a bottle of wine._

_“Want some?”_

_“Sure,” Ben nodded. He’d had coffee with his dinner, Hux only water, but he hoped a little bit of alcohol might ease the discussion to follow._

_They settled on opposite ends of the couch, wine glasses in hand. Ben tucked one leg beneath him, turning his body to face Hux, who was similarly angled with one leg crossed over the other._

_“I’m-“_

_“Look-“_

_They started speaking at exactly the same time. Hux chuckled, waving a hand. “Go ahead.”_

_“I was just going to say I’m sorry,” Ben started. “For losing my temper. I- I didn’t mean to.”_

_Hux shook his head. “While I do appreciate that, you don’t need to apologize, Ben.” He sighed. “I can’t exactly blame you for being upset with me.”_

_Ben waited._

_“I’m not used to thinking about someone else,” Hux admitted, tipping his head back to stare up at the ceiling. “I’ve been single for a lot of my adult life, and I’m a workaholic-“ He offered a smirk at that, which Ben mirrored, although he wasn’t sure Hux could see him. “It’s all too easy for me to get caught up in that and forget about everything else.”_

_“I get it,” Ben agreed. “I’m not sure you can be an astronaut without being a bit of a workaholic. We both have insane schedules, and we’re seven hours apart, so it’s not like I expected to talk to you every day. But we were talking a lot and then, all of a sudden, you were more distant-“_

_“To be fair, I was traveling frequently and starting a new assignment.”_

_“I know that,” Ben replied. “But that’s going to happen, for both of us, and you can’t just drop off the face of the earth when it does.”_

_“I’m sorry,” Hux offered, meeting Ben’s eyes. “I never meant to… upset you. I’m just not sure what else you want me to say.”_

_“I want-“ Ben cut himself off, changing tack. There was a question he needed to ask first, even if he was a bit afraid of the answer. “What do YOU want, Hux?”_

_Hux blinked. “What do I want?”_

_“Yes.” Ben waved a hand between the two of them. “Out of this?”_

_Hux paused. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, refocusing on Ben. “I want you. To be with you,” he clarified. “I guess I thought that was obvious.”_

_Ben huffed in mild amusement. “A bit less so when I was having to argue with you to make plans to see each other.”_

_Hux winced. It was barely visible, a flicker across his face, but Ben saw it. “That’s fair.” He sighed. “I told you a little about my last relationship, when we were on station.” It wasn’t a question, but he waited for Ben’s affirming nod before continuing. “We were both working constantly, and we saw each other when we could. It was never going to last, there was no commitment in that way. It’s been a long time since I’ve been involved with someone… seriously.”_

_“Is that what you want with me?” Ben wondered, a bit of anxiety coiling in his chest. “No strings attached?”_

_“Initially, I thought so,” Hux admitted. “But it turns out it’s a bit late for that.”_

_Ben felt warmth spreading through him at the other man’s confession. “I’m definitely attached, if you hadn’t noticed. Speaking of being obvious.” Hux smiled at that. And then- “It freaked you out, didn’t it?” Ben put together. “When you realized…how you felt. That’s why you pulled away.”_

_Hux frowned. “It didn’t ‘freak me out’,” he grumbled. “But it was, I suppose, a bit unexpected.”_

_“And yet you invited me over here,” Ben pointed out. “You’re telling me all of this. What changed?”_

_“It occurred to me I might lose you.”_

_Ben blinked. Slowly, his lips curved into a grin. “You’re getting properly sentimental over there, Hux.” He received a glare in reply._

_“Don’t rub it in.”_

_Ben crawled across the couch. Hux opened his arms immediately, and Ben nestled into them, planting kisses all over the older man’s face. “You’re adorable.”_

_Hux scowled. “Do try to restrain yourself.”_

_“Nope.”_

_“I’m going to make you sleep out here alone.”_

_“You will not.”_

_Hux took Ben’s face in his hands, stopping his assault. “I’m sorry that I made you doubt how I feel about you.”_

_Ben smiled. “Just talk to me, Hux. Whatever you’re feeling, just tell me, okay?” He raised an eyebrow. “And I know we’re both crazy busy, but it’s been nine weeks since I’ve seen you. Nine. It’s too long. A visit once every two months and a couple of texts a week does not cut it if we’re… doing whatever it is we’re doing.”_

_Hux smiled, a genuine smile. “We’re dating, Ben.”_

_Ben kissed him, trying to communicate every ounce of emotion that he wasn’t sure he’d managed to express with words. Hux’s lips on his felt like coming home. He hoped it felt that way for Hux, too. When they broke apart, he tucked his head down against the other man’s shoulder._

_“So I guess that makes this our first fight,” he offered. Hux hummed in reply. “That means we get to have makeup sex later.”_

_Hux actually chuckled at that. “I’ll look forward to it.”_

_“Me too,” Ben agreed. “But right now, I’m good to stay right like this.”_

_Hux pressed a kiss to his hair. “As am I.”_

 

\------------

 

“We almost have to design the procedure from scratch,” Hux was telling Ben. “The basic framework from the spacewalk in ’05 is good, but so much about the station has changed since then.”

They were on their way home, both tired from a long day and the previous night of less-than-stellar sleep. Despite everything, Ben’s shift on console had been fairly straightforward, the astronauts unable to do anything about the damaged heat exchanger until the ground team worked out a fix. They’d got on with their usual activities, more or less, except that Columbus was out of commission and everyone was a bit on edge about that fact. Hux’s day had been a bit more chaotic, between reassuring ESA that every effort was being expended to fix the IFHX and return their module to normal operation and, apparently, trying to conjure a spacewalk out of thin air.

“And the replacement back then wasn’t in the same module, either,” Hux went on. “I’m going to be in the pool tomorrow.”

The pool. Or the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, where spacewalk procedures were worked out and tested. If that was going to be Hux’s day tomorrow, it was especially good that he would get a proper night’s sleep tonight. Not that there was much they could do at JSC overnight right now anyway.

“You volunteered?”

Hux nodded. “Yes. So did Poe. We thought-“

Ben’s phone rang. His hands were currently occupied with the steering wheel, but Hux retrieved the device from where it was resting in the center console. “It’s your mother.”

“Don’t answer it.”

Hux shot him a look. “She’ll definitely have been briefed, and she knows you’ve been on console.” He answered the call before Ben could present any further objections. “Leia, hello.”

Ben exhaled heavily. It wasn’t that he didn’t like talking to his mother, she could just be so… so… exhausting.

“Yes, he’s here, he’s just driving.” Hux glanced over at Ben. “I assumed you had… Yes, he just came off shift… We’re working on the procedure now…”

All too soon, they were pulling into the garage, getting out of the car, and Hux was handing him the phone. Ben accepted it with an eye roll, as Hux closed the garage door and led the way into the house.

“Hi mom.”

“Ben. I’ve been getting regular updates on the situation on station, but I wanted to check in with you. I know you were Capcom yesterday when the false alarm occurred.” Leia sounded as calm and put-together as ever, but Ben could detect the hint of stress under the surface.

“How did you-“

“I spoke with Amilyn first thing this morning.”

Oh. Right. Sometimes he forgot that his mother was good friends with his current flight director. Leia had hired the younger woman back when she’d still been head of JSC. “Oh. Yeah, okay.”

“How are you holding up?”

It suddenly occurred to Ben that Leia was calling perhaps not only for an update, which she could obtain from any number of individuals at JSC, but also to check on his well-being.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.” He sighed, dropping onto the couch. Hux had disappeared. “I mean, it was a stressful shift yesterday, with the alarm, but it’s a relief to know there was never any leak. Obviously, we’ve still got an issue to solve, but the team will figure it out.”

“I have no doubt they will. How are the crew?”

“They’re doing okay. I don’t think they got much sleep last night - not that any of us did. Jess is doing a great job, and everyone’s just taking it a step at a time.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it. Make sure they’re thinking ahead to the spacewalk, they’ll have one coming before long-“

“Yep.”

“A heat exchanger replacement is a rare occurrence, so it may take some time to get the necessary procedures together. I know that’s already underway-“

“Yes, mom. I know.”

“But the crew may as well begin prepping the suits and tools, you can never be too prepared-“

“Mom.” Leia paused. “I got it.”

Leia sighed. “Of course you do, Ben. Make sure you get some rest tonight. I’ll be in the loop, but if you need anything at all, you know how to reach me.”

Despite her propensity for providing too much advice, Ben for once appreciated having a direct line of contact to the head of NASA. Not that he expected to need it. “Yeah, okay. Thanks mom.”

 

\------------

 

Hux was in the shower. Ben couldn’t blame the man, he was desperate for one himself after a night sleeping on the floor. On his way upstairs, he stopped by the laundry room to grab a clean pair of boxers. He’d done laundry yesterday - no, the previous day - and distinctly remembered leaving a pile of clean clothes in the basket on top of the dryer.

The basket was there. The clothes were missing.

Frowning, Ben jogged up the stairs. In the bedroom, he pulled open a drawer. Nope, that was Hux’s drawer now. He tried another one.

Where the _hell_ were his boxers?

“Looking for something?” Hux stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. In most circumstances, that’d be enough to distract Ben from anything, but he was tired, and sweaty, and he wanted a clean pair of fucking boxers.

“Did you move my laundry from downstairs?” It came out a tad more accusatory than he intended.

Hux arched an eyebrow. “You mean the clean laundry that you left sitting on the dryer for the better part of a day? I put it away when we stopped home yesterday evening.” He paused. “You’re welcome.”

“You can’t just… do that,” Ben objected crossly. He wasn’t feeling particularly thankful, at the moment. “Now I don’t know where anything is!”

Hux snorted. “That’s because you’re used to living out of a laundry basket and not a drawer.” He nodded at the bureau. “Next one over.”

Ben wrenched open the drawer and yanked free a pair of boxers. “I do not live out of a laundry basket.”

“I beg to differ.”

Ben scowled. “Just… don’t rearrange my stuff, okay?” He snapped. “It works just fine the way it is.”

Hux held up his hands. “Apologies if I’ve disrupted your fragile clothing ecosystem.” Oh, there was the sarcasm. Hux didn’t often lose his temper, far less than Ben did, but his words had a bite when he wanted them to.

“You know what-“ Ben was cut off by his phone ringing. Again. “The _fuck_ does somebody want NOW-“

Ben glanced down at the screen. It was a grad school friend, someone he’d be happy to catch up with when he wasn’t exhausted beyond belief. He let the call go to voicemail, then set the phone face down on the dresser and leaned against the wooden structure, taking a deep breath. “Where were we?”

Hux huffed a laugh. “You were yelling at me for putting away your laundry.”

_Right._

_Shit_.

“I’m sorry, babe.” Ben straightened up, wind going out of his sails, and turned to face his boyfriend. “I don’t even know where that came from.”

“How about from stress and lack of sleep?” Hux offered. He’d put on a pair of jeans during their argument and now padded across the carpet, barefoot and shirtless, to where Ben stood. “I’ll leave your clothes alone.”

“No.” Ben shook his head. “It’s fine, I didn’t mean… It’s nice. You’re nice.” Hux snickered and Ben groaned, blushing. “I’m so fucking tired.”

Hux stepped closer, his arms settling around Ben’s waist. “Me too. It’s okay.”

Ben leaned forward to brush his lips over Hux’s, feeling reassured when the other man immediately kissed him back. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, when they’d separated, lips hovering barely apart. “I don’t know what I was-“

Hux ran a hand through Ben’s hair, and the younger man felt the tension drain away. “Don’t worry about it. Go shower, you’ll feel better.”

“Okay.” Ben snuck one more quick kiss, then departed for the bathroom. They’d only been living together for about six weeks, and he was still figuring out the nuances of sharing his house with another human being full time. But Hux putting away his clothes was hardly the most objectionable thing the other man could be doing. Ben shook his head at himself. _Honestly_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In real-life space news, today's Soyuz launch had to be aborted mid-way through due to a failed rocket. Fortunately, the abort procedures worked as designed and the crew were safely returned to earth (if a bit sooner and more abruptly than they were expecting). Bad news is that the impact on the space program is not yet clear. The Soyuz - currently the only way to get to the ISS - will be grounded until the problem is diagnosed and corrected. Here's hoping they can resolve it soon and get back to normal operations. Spaceflight is a complicated business, folks!

_Ben walked into the hangar, side by side with Hux as they made their way to the prep room for their flight gear. They were at Ellington Field in Houston, just across Clear Lake from JSC and the home of most of the Center’s aircraft. It had been several weeks before, in Germany, when Hux had looked at Ben one morning and stated: “I want to take you flying.” Now, he was finally getting his wish._

_Reaching the prep room, they pulled their designated ejection seat harnesses down from their pegs and slipped them on. They were already dressed in their blue flight suits, matching except for the two patches on the front - bearing their name and associated space agency - and their country flag patch on the upper left arm._

_Ben watched Hux secure his harness, eyes drifting over the lean hands buckling it closed and the reddish eyelashes brushing against his cheek as he looked down at what he was doing. It was the first week of December, six weeks since his visit to Cologne where they’d talked everything out. He’d been over once more since then, Hux unable to get a lot of time off for traveling while on console. Until now. They’d found a rhythm for their long-distance relationship: a lot of texting during the week, plus the occasional lunchtime or late night Skype, and longer video calls on the weekends, when their schedules were more aligned. So far, it seemed to be working._

_Buckling his own harness, Ben retrieved his helmet and followed Hux from the prep room, out of the hangar, and on to the airfield. They’d be flying a T-38, the same type of aircraft the astronauts used for training. And by “they”, Ben really meant “Hux”. While he could, in fact, fly the aircraft from the rear seat, and knew how, it was highly unlikely his boyfriend would require any assistance._

_Ben clambered up the ladder and into his tiny cockpit, just behind Hux’s, wedging himself in as comfortably as he could. He fastened the restraining straps, secured his helmet, and fit his oxygen hose over his mouth and nose. He could just see Hux doing the same, a few feet ahead, over the top of the plane. Ben had flown in the rear seat of a T-38 more times than he could count, logging hours of flight training during his early years as an astronaut and, more recently, the required time to maintain his active flight status. He typically flew with an instructor, sometimes with other astronauts. He’d flown a number of times with Poe._

_This was the first time he’d ever flown with Hux._

_As a former military pilot who’d spent probably several thousands of hours in a cockpit, Hux was certified to fly front seat. The regulations for continued flight training, and the aircraft themselves, were a bit different at ESA than at NASA, but Hux had seized the opportunity to log some hours in a T-38 while he was in Houston. Truthfully, Hux would jump at just about any chance to fly, and he seemed particularly keen to share the experience with Ben._

_“All set?” Hux’s voice came over the headset._

_“I’m good,” Ben replied. The microphone built into the mask over his mouth enabled him to communicate with the other man, as well as with the ground._

_Hux taxied them out to the runway, the canopies lowering over both of their cockpits. Ben felt the familiar adrenaline rush as the aircraft picked up speed, the wheels coming off of the ground._

_As he watched the ground soar away beneath him, Ben realized that he felt no anxiety, only elation. Other than flying a handful of times as a kid, with his dad, his primary flying experience had come during his NASA training. Ben had found the process of learning to fly a T-38 a hell of a lot less stressful than being a passenger in one, even with an instructor at the wheel. There was something about giving up control, relying on the skill and attention of one other person to ensure he got back to land in one piece, that put him on edge. Spaceflight was different. There were so many people involved, both in space and on the ground, and the context unlike anything else he’d ever experienced._

_As he stared at the back of Hux’s head - or rather, helmet -, it occurred to Ben that he trusted the Englishman with his life, willingly and without qualification. There were not very many people that he could say that about. The thought actually took his breath away._

_Initially, Hux took them on a fairly leisurely circuit, save a few sharply banked turns. Then, rather abruptly, he apparently decided it was time to show off._

_“Hang on!” Was the only warning Ben got before Hux turned the plane into a barrel roll. The maneuver was expertly neat, and the restraints ensured Ben barely moved, but his brain and his stomach both did a somersault. He thought he’d be used to this sort of thing from zero gravity; apparently he was out of practice._

_“Holy shit,” he managed, when they were right way up again._

_“Just making sure you’re still awake,” Hux quipped, his voice crackling a bit over the headset._

_“I am now.”_

_Hux chuckled. “Want to do it again?”_

 

\------------

 

_By the time they came to a stop on the airfield, Hux had done two more barrel rolls and a touch-and-go-landing. Ben wasn’t quite sure if the ground controllers, who approved of everything occurring in flight, were just trying to make sure Hux got to practice a range of maneuvers or were simply living vicariously through this flight experience._

_The ground team wheeled over the ladders, hooking them on to the cockpits. Ben had barely removed his helmet and unstrapped himself from the seat when Hux was there, having climbed down his own ladder and up the neighboring one, hovering just outside where Ben was still seated in the plane. Hux’s cheeks were flushed from the air, hair sticking up from where he’d pulled the helmet off. His eyes were sparkling bright blue in the sunlight, and he was smiling. If Ben hadn’t know it already, it would’ve been obvious from the sight before him: Hux loved to fly._

_“What?” Hux must have noticed the emotions playing across his face._

_Ben said the first thing that came to mind. “I love you.”_

_Hux’s eyes widened. For a fraction of a second, Ben was terrified he’d said it too soon. Hux seemed to have resolved whatever hesitation he had about their relationship and had been more attentive and communicative, but Ben didn’t want to make him feel pressured. But before he could panic, the Brit’s smile softened a bit around the edges, his eyes warm with affection._

_“Well, if I’d known a barrel roll was all it would take,” Hux flashed his trademark smirk. “I would’ve taken you flying sooner.”_

_Ben rolled his eyes, unable to keep the grin off of his face. “It wasn’t that. Although,” he considered. “That was definitely sexy. It was the realization that I trust you with my life and that you’re the only person I ever want to.”_

_Hux stared at Ben for a long moment. Then he pushed himself halfway over the side of the cockpit, seized the younger man by the front of his flight suit, and crashed their lips together. The angle was terrible, but Ben thought it was maybe the best kiss they’d ever shared. They were both breathless when Hux finally pulled away._

_“If I don’t stop now, I won’t be able to,” he confessed, and Ben grinned. They’d already shared their relationship with both space agencies and had been pleasantly surprised that no one voiced any concerns. Although, other than the usual policies about not dating someone you directly reported to, there weren’t any rules against dating other astronauts, and Ben and Hux didn’t even report to the same organization. Having said that, they generally avoided open displays of affection when at work together._

_And undressing each other on the airfield would definitely be frowned upon._

_“Come on,” Ben nudged at Hux, wordlessly encouraging the other man to move down the ladder so Ben could extricate himself from the cockpit. Back on the tarmac, he reached for Hux’s hand and squeezed. “Let’s go.”_

 

\------------

 

It was nearly five by the time Ben left the main JSC complex the next afternoon, having stopped first to talk to Holdo and then briefly detouring through the Astronaut Office to check in with the team there. He’d spent most of his shift working with the onboard crew to ensure they were as prepared as could be for a spacewalk, despite not yet knowing the actual procedure. There were a lot of standard prep tasks, such as resizing the two US Extravehicular Mobility Units, or spacesuits, which were shared by all astronauts and had to be refitted to the individuals who would be using them. In this case, that would be Jess and Rose, who had been assigned to the spacewalk first thing that morning.

He made the short drive across Clear Lake, passing the turn for his own neighborhood, to the Sonny Carter Training Facility, home of the Neutral Buoyancy Lab. He flashed his ID at the security desk, nodding at a couple of colleagues as he made his way through the space. He’d last spent time here while observing the current onboard crew in their training, in order to better understand how they worked before he had to support them during the mission. Not so long ago.

The NBL vaguely resembled any other swimming facility, with high ceilings and a sort of decking on each side of the in-ground pool, but the body of water itself was two hundred feet long, forty feet deep, and filled with equipment. The commotion on the deck confirmed that there were currently astronauts in there, too. Ben approached the edge, peering into the depths in an effort to see what was going on. It looked like most of the activity was occurring towards the other end, but he thought he could just make out a white spacesuit.

He started down the side of the pool in that direction, but was interrupted by someone calling his name.

“Ben!”

He glanced over his shoulder. One of the NBL technicians, a young woman named Emily that he’d worked with before, waved at him from the stairs leading up to the control room. On one side of the space, an elevated enclosed observation deck overlooked the pool; it was from here that the NBL staff monitored the goings-on in the water below.

“They’re going to be in for a bit yet,” she called. “Come on up.”

Ben followed her up the stairs. He’d been in the control room before, while observing the current crew in training. He took a seat next to Emily at one of the tables, amongst a number of other familiar faces. The room was more crowded than usual, given the high stakes and short planning time of this spacewalk. At the front of the room, several technicians sat directly in front of the consoles, monitoring and communicating with the team in the pool. To the right, a row of large windows looked out over the lab itself.

And, on the monitors, Ben could see the two white-suited astronauts in the pool, flanked by their support divers. They were close together, on the side of the mockup of the Harmony module. It was difficult to tell who was who from the current visuals.

Hux’s voice came over the speaker, the communications channel audible to the entire room for everyone’s benefit. “IFHX is in place, preparing to reconnect the water loop.”

“Copy that.” One of the techs at the front responded. “Proceed.”

The bank of monitors at the front of the room showed views from nearly every angle, both distance shots to identify the astronauts’ location and close ups of their immediate worksite. Each astronaut had four dedicated divers, one of whom was a camera operator who filmed everything their assigned crew member worked on. Two safety divers monitored each astronaut, watching for any problems with their spacesuits and tethers, or changes in their facial expression or tone of voice; a utility diver to assist with prepping any needed worksites rounded out each team.

As Hux had further explained the previous night, he and Poe had volunteered to test run the spacewalking procedures in the NBL. As they’d both been on station fairly recently and were specialists - i.e. experts - in not only the US segment, but also the affected Columbus lab, they were a good choice.

“Water loop is reconnected.” It was Poe this time, relaying the update. “Looks good so far.”

“Looks good from this end, too, Poe.” The technician affirmed.

“Proceeding with reconnecting the ammonia loop.”

Emily leaned over to speak quietly in Ben’s ear, as they watched Hux and Poe begin the careful work of linking the ammonia loop with the new heat exchanger. “We got hung up for a bit earlier on how to safely disconnect the ammonia loop. Had to walk that through a few times. But-“ She nodded to the screen. “If they can get it reconnected without issue, we should be in good shape.”

The ammonia loop was probably the trickiest part of the whole process. Any slip-ups in disconnecting or reconnecting it could result in ammonia venting out of the loop, potentially requiring a power down of more systems on station, and getting all over the astronauts’ suits in the process. Designing this spacewalk was a careful balance of caution and expediency; everyone wanted the heat exchanger fixed as quickly as possible, before any more experiments were compromised by the now two-day-and-counting power outage in Columbus, but not at the expense of safety. It wouldn’t do to rush things and make a mistake.

“It’s still on an angle,” Hux was saying to Poe, audible over the com. “Back it off a bit.”

“Ah, I see,” Poe affirmed. “Here - how’s that?”

“With the location of this IFHX, it’s a bit difficult to get the in port of the ammonia loop lined up straight,” Hux reported. Part of testing the spacewalking procedure was to note any potential issues or complications, ensuring they were documented for the astronauts on station. “We need to make sure it’s seated correctly before we bolt it in.”

“Copy that, Hux.” The team at the front was making notes. “We’ll record it.”

Everyone in the control room watched intently as Hux and Poe reconnected the ammonia loop. The minutes dragged by, feeling endless, but no one would blame them for taking their time.

“Ammonia loop reconnected,” Hux reported finally, sounding just a tad pleased. “No indication of a leak.”

The technicians all scanned their displays, looking for any sign that might suggest otherwise. “Copy that, Hux. Everything checks out.”

Everyone exhaled an audible breath of relief. It had worked. They’d done it. Not that Ben would have expected anything less.

It took close to another half hour for them to close and secure the panel that concealed and protected the IFHX, just as their counterparts on station would have to do, and then the control room team deemed the simulation complete.

“Ground team, prepare for astronaut egress,” the test director announced. On the monitors, Ben could see the safety divers slowly moving Hux and Poe towards the side of the pool, where the platform awaited to return them to the surface. While the pool was the best place to simulate working in outer space, it was not nearly as easy to move in water as in microgravity. A spacesuit filled with air would normally float, so it was carefully weighted to keep the astronaut in one spot, or neutrally buoyant. In addition to monitoring their well-being, the safety divers moved each astronaut from place to place underwater, ensuring the careful balance was maintained.

“So where does this put us?” Ben asked Emily, as they made their way down the steps to poolside level. He knew better than to think the procedure was done and dusted after one day of testing. Under the water, he could see a cluster of divers around the two white-suited figures, securing them on the platform.

“Better off than we thought’d we be six hours ago,” she replied. “We’re in good shape. We’ll do another sim tomorrow, ideally a straight-through run of the EVA. We had to stop a bunch today, to rework the ammonia loop disconnection and for a few other hiccups.”

“Is this going to require multiple spacewalks?” It wasn’t unheard of, for a major repair, which this certainly was. It was nearly six-thirty now, and while he didn’t know exactly when they’d started the sim, or for how long they’d stopped to work things out, there was a limit to the number of hours NASA would allow an astronaut to be outside of the station at once stretch.

Poe and Hux were emerging from the water, secured back to back on the slowly rising platform. Poe was facing him and waved. Ben waved back.

“I don’t think so.” Emily shook her head, smiling at their antics. “I think we’re estimating the spacewalk to take about six hours. We’ll have a better sense once we run it through tomorrow.”

“That’s good.” Ben shot her a wry grin. “You guys did good work today.”

“Tell that to them.” Still smiling, Emily waved a hand towards the astronauts. “They did all the heavy lifting.”

The platform fully emerged from the water, moving sideways until it hovered over solid ground and then lowering with a gentle _thunk_. Ben stepped around to Hux’s side, as a team surrounded each astronaut, taking off their helmets and gloves. When the Brit glanced up to see Ben hovering a few feet away, he raised an eyebrow in greeting. Ben smirked at him.

De-suiting in the NBL was more or less the same as de-suiting on the ISS, just minus the lack of gravity. The support team unhooked and stored the various tools from Hux’s suit and removed the snoopy cap he’d used to communicate while underwater. Just like on station, he had to wriggle out from under the hard upper torso, and then sat down on a mat while a couple of team members pulled the bottom half of the suit off.

Ben stepped forward to offer a hand to pull him to his feet. Hux’s hair was mussed, his running pants and t-shirt rumpled from being underneath the suit for hours, but he looked pleased.

“Okay?”

Hux nodded. “Yep.”

“You guys did it.”

The other man smiled. “Yes. Although we ran into some issues, had to tweak the procedure some. I still have some concerns about the ammonia loop disconnection. We’ll have to run it again tomorrow.”

“Yeah, Emily was telling me,” Ben agreed.

“But in the meantime,” the woman in question chimed in, pausing beside them. “You can take him home, feed him and put him to bed.”

Hux rolled his eyes. “I’m right here, Emily.”

Emily grinned at him, reaching up to squeeze his shoulder before heading back towards the pool. “See you tomorrow, gentlemen.”

Poe came over then, newly out of his spacesuit and clearly trying to stretch some tension out of his muscles. “Well, that went pretty well, all things considered.”

Hux faced him, his lips turning up slightly. “Agreed.”

“Assuming tomorrow goes smoothly, we should be good to go.”

“That’s certainly what we’re all hoping.” They all turned as the test director approached. “A quick debrief, and then we’ll let you get home to get some rest.”

 

\------------

 

It was after eight when they finally made it home. True to his word, the test director had kept the debrief quite short, by NASA standards, deciding to review things further in the morning before the next run through. They’d picked up takeout on the way, from an Italian place they were both fond of. They were barely through the door when Hux departed for the shower, which Ben completely understood. The feeling post NBL session was very similar to that post spacewalk - the exhaustion, the sweat, the permeating chill. Hot showers weren’t possible on station, but in this case, it would definitely do wonders.

Ben was just plating their food when Hux returned. His hair was damp and in mild disarray, and he was wearing a well-worn Royal Navy t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that were definitely Ben’s. Firstly, because of the way they slung low and loose on his hips, and also because Ben was fairly certain Hux didn’t have any of his own. The Brit had plenty of running clothes, but sweats? Not so much.

Hux downed a glass of water in three sips, then retrieved a beer from the fridge. Ben had his own already in hand, and they collected their plates and went into the living room, in a kind of unspoken agreement. They ate sitting side by side on the couch, shoulders and thighs just touching; hardly speaking, but enjoying the quiet comfort. Ben was ravenous, and Hux appeared much the same, so it wasn’t long before the food had vanished and they were leisurely finishing their drinks.

Hux looked exhausted. He’d powered through a long day in the pool, and the debrief, but now looked as though he might fall asleep exactly where he was. It was after nine, anyway, and they had to be up at 5:30 AM. A slightly earlier night wouldn’t hurt either one of them. Ben collected the empty beer bottles and stood, holding out a hand.

“Come on.”

In bed, Ben wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, smiling when Hux snuggled into him with a soft sigh.

“Alright, Armie?”

“Mm.” Hux murmured, without so much as a grumble or a glare over the nickname. “Just tired.”

“Sleep then. You’ll need your rest for tomorrow.” They both would. The Falcon was scheduled to launch in less than twenty-four hours, and it would certainly be a busy day.

Hux hummed again in agreement and was sound asleep in minutes.


	6. Chapter 6

_“There’s something I haven’t told you.”_

_Ben glanced over at Hux. It was morning, fairly early still, and they were in bed in a hotel room in London. They’d gotten up long enough to make tea and then retreated back to the warmth of the covers, Hux reading something on his iPad and Ben checking emails on his phone._

_Ben set his phone down. Whatever Hux was about to tell him seemed like it ought to have his full attention. “That sounds a bit worrying.”_

_Hux put down his iPad, turning to face Ben, a slight smile gracing his features. “It’s not bad. Or, perhaps it is, but it’s all in the past. Nothing to do with now, or with us.”_

_Ben relaxed a bit. “Okay.”_

_Hux was quiet for a moment, perhaps collecting his thoughts, and Ben waited. “Do you remember when I told you about my parents, on station?”_

_Ben nodded. “Yeah, of course.” That was the reason for this trip to London. Or Hux’s mother was the reason, in any case, his father being deceased. Back in Houston in December, Hux had admitted that he’d like for Ben to meet her, so they’d arranged a shared vacation in London to do just that. And spend some time together, of course. Meanwhile, Leia had been pressing Ben for details on his new-ish relationship; technically, she’d met Hux years before, at JSC, but her son knew that another meet-the-parents trip was going to be in the cards before too long._

_Hux cleared his throat. “What I didn’t tell you is that they were never married. My mother and father. Or even together, really.” His eyes met Ben’s, who offered what he hoped was an encouraging nod. “My father was married to another woman for my entire life, and my mother was their cook. I’m sure you can surmise what happened.”_

_Ben processed this. He remained quiet, letting Hux say what he wanted to, knowing that the other man didn’t find it easy to talk about his childhood._

_“She stayed on as the cook for the first couple of years of my life, I barely remember it, and then my father made her leave. I don’t know if he didn’t want us to have a relationship, or if he didn’t want the reminder. Although he already had plenty of a reminder in me, and he certainly never let me forget it.”_

_“He didn’t keep it from you?” Ben questioned._

_Hux snorted. “Hardly. No, he took every possible opportunity to remind me that I’d been born to someone that wasn’t his wife. Out of wedlock. But the only things he told me about my mother were that she was the cook, and a whore who’d seduced him and then run from her responsibilities.” Hux’s tone had turned bitter, and he paused, taking a breath. “It didn’t take long for me to work out that Brendol manipulated facts to his advantage, and so - once I turned eighteen - I tracked her down to find out for myself.”_

_“And I take it her story was quite different from his?”_

_“That he’d seduced her, not the other way around. He made her believe he’d take care of both her and their child, and then kicked her out. Threatening to blacklist her and destroy her livelihood if she didn’t stay away from me.” Hux shook his head. “Which he could have, and would have, done.”_

_“Fucking hell.”_

_“It wasn’t hard to figure out who to believe. The man who’d belittled me and lied about everything for as long as I could remember versus the woman who went out of her way to be there for a son she’d only just met. Anyway-“ Hux went on. “Not too long after that, Brendol disowned me for joining the Navy instead of the Army-“_

_“Wait - he disowned you?” Ben spluttered. “You’d said he wasn’t happy, but-“_

_“You underestimate the lengths he’d go to in order to communicate displeasure,” Hux replied. “Although he never quite fully managed it - he seemed torn between cutting me out of his life entirely and staying in it in order to slowly drive me insane. I saw him a few more times after that, always unpleasant, but I stayed with my mother when I was home from university. Brendol’s widow is still alive, as far as I know, but I have no contact with her, nor wish to. She was about as kind to me as he was.”_

_Ben felt a bit blown sideways by this story. He’d known Hux’s relationship with his father was bad, but this was beyond his comprehension. All of the sometimes very valid complaints he had about his own parents paled in comparison._

_“I’m glad you got a chance to have a relationship with your mother,” he finally said._

_Hux smiled. “I am, too.” His smile wavered just a smidge. “I wanted you to know before you met her, that she wasn’t married to Brendol, what had happened. I hope it doesn’t change your opinion of me.”_

_Ben blinked. “What, that you were born out of wedlock?” He asked incredulously. “Hux, you know I don’t care about that. The only thing I care about is that your father was such an asshole-“ It didn’t feel like a strong enough word. “-that he could treat his own son in such a horrible way. It’s a good thing he’s dead, because otherwise I’d have quite a few harsh things to say to him.”_

_Hux’s smile reappeared at that, and Ben’s heart soared. “I quite like the idea of you defending my honor,” he quipped._

_“You know I would.”_

_“I do.” Hux reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. “It’s one of the many reasons I love you.”_

_Ben smiled, scooting across the space between them to snuggle against Hux’s side. It wasn’t the first time the other man had uttered those three words, but it never failed to thrill him. Hux was more sparing with both words and emotional expression than Ben was, but the younger man didn’t mind. It was in every smirk, and smile, and touch, and lingering look. Hux was in love with him. And he was helplessly in love with Hux._

 

\------------

 

_Hux’s mother lived in a flat on a quiet street on the outskirts of London. Ben followed his boyfriend up the stairs to the second floor, hovering just behind him as Hux knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately to reveal a woman who looked… remarkably like Hux. Red hair, now with streaks of gray, neatly tied back from her face. Relatively tall and slender, though still a good five or six inches shorter than they were. Her face broke into a warm smile at the sight of her son. Ben guessed she was probably around seventy, but she had a youthful air._

_“Mum, this is Ben. My boyfriend,” Hux introduced, after giving her a warm hug. “Ben, my mother, Cynthia.”_

_“Ben.” Cynthia stepped forward and gave him a hug, too. Ben returned the embrace. “It’s so nice to meet you at last. This son of mine never brings anyone home.”_

_Ben chuckled, more so when he’d noticed that Hux had ever so slightly flushed. “Well, I’m flattered. And it’s lovely to meet you, too.”_

_“Come in and sit down.” Cynthia ushered them into the living room. “I’ve made scones, and I’ve just got the kettle on.” Well, that would explain the delicious aroma Ben was currently smelling._

_“Let me help you-“ Hux started, but she immediately brushed him off._

_“No, no, Armie, you sit and relax. I’ll get it.”_

_“Armie?” Ben mouthed at Hux, when Cynthia had disappeared into the kitchen._

_“A nickname,” the Brit retorted, with a glare._

_Ben grinned. Glancing around the room, he took in the brightly colored throw pillows, the trinkets on the side tables, the mismatched books on the shelves. He idly wondered how different Hux would be if he’d grown up in a place such as this, as opposed to the staid, cold environment he envisioned Brendol’s house to have been. On the other hand, he wouldn’t have Hux any other way. Hux had explained that his mother had found work as a cook with another family not too long after leaving his father’s residence. She’d worked for them for many years, and they’d treated her well, and now she lived a modest, but comfortable, retirement._

_After some back and forth concerning how Ben took his tea, Cynthia returned with a tray of mugs, scones, and jam. Hux jumped up to help set it on the coffee table, over her protest. She gave him a look of fond exasperation, not unlike one Hux had frequently directed at Ben. The look Hux gave her in return - the soft, warm smile - was one that Ben had seen before, too. It seemed to be reserved for those that Hux was properly fond of, and Ben was touched to be on that short list._

_“So Ben,” Cynthia settled into a chair, mug cradled in her hands, eyeing the two men over the rim. “I know that you’re also an astronaut, that you live in Houston, and that you two met on the ISS. But Armie has been a bit stingy with details, so I’d like to know more about you.”_

_“Oh, um, sure,” Ben said, feeling an odd mixture of put-on-the-spot and touched that she was interested. “I’ve lived in Houston most of my life, I grew up there. Only child. I’m an aerospace engineer. I wasn’t really planning on becoming an astronaut, but I love it. Uh- when I have the time, I love cooking, listening to music, driving my car. And now I’m rambling-“_

_Hux looked mildly amused, but Cynthia smiled warmly. “No, it’s wonderful. Cooking, hm. Maybe you can teach Armie a few things.”_

_“Mum!” Next to him, Hux rolled his eyes, and now Ben was the one looking amused. “Thanks a lot.”_

_“I already knew your culinary skills were limited,” Ben teased, and Cynthia laughed. It wasn’t that Hux was a bad cook, by any means. He just wasn’t particularly inventive. While Ben loved to experiment and try new combinations, Hux followed recipes with the precision he applied to everything else and generally rotated through a handful of basic dishes._

_“We’ve been here fifteen minutes, and you’re already ganging up on me,” Hux grumbled, giving Ben a slightly wounded look. Ben nudged his shoulder, offering a gentle smile, and Hux’s eyes softened._

_When Ben glanced back to Cynthia, she was watching them with a soft expression on her face. “You’ve both fallen hard, haven’t you,” she murmured, then smiled. “I’m glad. Armie, it’s about time.”_

 

\------------

 

_Coming out of the “loo”, as Cynthia had called it, Ben found himself face to face with a series of framed photographs mounted on the wall. There were a few of people Ben didn’t recognize, although he spotted Cynthia in at least one of them. And then there were a few of Hux - one around age ten, with a toothy smile and a shock of red hair. Hux must have given it to her at some point. A couple of the two of them together, one when he was university age and one, by the looks of it, from shortly before one of his launches at Kennedy. And then there was one of him in uniform._

_Ben stopped. Stared. Hux looked really good in uniform. Was it weird he was totally into a photo of his boyfriend from twenty years earlier?_

_The man in question appeared at his elbow. “I see you’ve found the photographs.”_

_Ben nodded. “I like you in uniform.”_

_Hux snorted. “You’ll have to make do with pictures, I’m afraid.” He nodded at the image in question. “That was when I received my commission at Dartmouth. Naval College.”_

_“How old were you?”_

_“Twenty-two.”_

_Ben found he was having trouble tearing his eyes away._

_Hux noticed. “Are you finished staring so we can get on with the afternoon?”_

_Ben blushed, but nonetheless shot Hux a cheeky grin, before planting a kiss on his cheek. “Sure thing, Armie.” And then he dashed into the kitchen before the other man could retaliate._

_Cynthia was wrapping up a plate of scones. “I’m packing these up for you,” she told him as he entered, Hux on his heels. “To take with you when you go.”_

_“Mum, we don’t need-“_

_“That’s so kind of you, Cynthia,” Ben interjected smoothly. “The scones were delicious.” No way was he turning down an offer of more, especially if he could pick up some of the clotted cream she’d served them with. He’d never had it before, and now he didn’t want to live without it._

_“I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Ben.” She crossed to the hall. “I’m just going to get my jacket, and then we can go have a walk.” It was a surprisingly nice day, for January, and they’d agreed on an afternoon stroll to the nearby park._

_“We don’t need more scones,” Hux objected, once she was out of earshot._

_“Speak for yourself,” Ben countered. “Besides, your mom offered them, and she’s lovely.” He smirked at Hux. “You’re just worried you’re going to eat too many.”_

_Hux wrinkled his nose. “You are altogether too easily motivated by food.”_

_Ben shrugged. “Whatever you say, Armie.”_

_Hux shook his head with a smirk, hooking his fingers into Ben’s belt loops to tug him closer. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”_

 

\------------

 

The conference room in the Astronaut Office was unusually crowded for seven-thirty PM. Admittedly, it had been near continually occupied the previous few days, as the team worked long hours in response to the ongoing crisis. Now, they were gathered to watch the launch. While on-the-ground astronauts paid attention to launches, especially those of manned spacecraft, they typically followed along from their desks, or their homes, or wherever they happened to be at the moment. Gathering all together was unusual; but then, this launch was unusual. The success of the spacewalk, tentatively scheduled for the day after tomorrow, and thus the recovery of the Columbus module, was riding on it.

They weren’t all there, of course. Larma D’Acy was on console in FCR 1, and another astronaut was Capcom in the White FCR, which was well underway with launch preparations. In the conference room, they had video and audio feed of the White FCR, as well as another screen showing live coverage of the rocket. The astronauts would have been onboard for some time now: Snap Wexley, a veteran astronaut and the Falcon commander, accompanied by two rookies, Thanisson and Lusica. Snap had been Capcom during Ben’s mission, and they knew one another well, but Ben hadn’t overlapped with the latter two much yet.

Hux and Poe were absent, too, still at the NBL finalizing the spacewalking procedure. Ben had received a text from Hux about two hours earlier, when they’d just come out of the pool, but had heard nothing further since.

Next to him, Kaydel was tapping a finger against her arm. She’d be taking over from D’Acy on console at eleven PM, when the Falcon was about halfway to the ISS. He glanced her way. “Nervous?” he asked quietly.

She looked up at him, surprised. “I guess a little,” she admitted. “This launch just has so much riding on it, you know?”

And Ben did. He couldn’t blame her, truthfully; he was a little bit antsy himself.

“It’s going to be fine,” he said, as much for himself as for her. “Everything points to the launch going forward as planned, and we should hopefully have the spacewalk procedure soon.” For the latter statement, there was definitely an emphasis on “hopefully”, but Hux had been confident, and Ben had long ago learned to trust his boyfriend’s judgement. The other man hadn’t given much detail in his text, and Ben hadn’t pressed, but he assumed Hux would’ve told him if they’d run into any major hurdles.

“Falcon flight controllers,” Peavey’s voice could clearly be heard over the audio feed, and everyone turned their attention towards the screen. Ben felt a shiver of anticipation. “I need a go-no-go for launch. BOOSTER.”

“Go.”

“PROP.”

“Go flight.”

For as many times as he’d heard it, Ben would never get tired of the console checks just before a launch. There was something thrilling about that final go-ahead; it reminded him of sitting in the Falcon, at his own launch, knowing that the sign-off from Houston and Kennedy was all that remained between him and outer space.

Peavey was calling out consoles, one by one, the names and responses passing in a blur.

“EECOM.”

“Go.”

“INCO.”

“We’re go.”

At that moment, Poe came through the door, Hux on his heels, rousing a cheer from all present. Hux waved it off with a smirk. Poe grinned. They were back in the JSC standard of trousers and dress shirt, having clearly showered at the NBL facility, although Poe had left off his tie. Ben honestly didn’t think anyone would have judged them for turning up in their sweats, after the day they’d undoubtedly had, but he knew that Hux - at least - would never dream of doing such a thing.

“Capcom.”

“Go flight,” came the response from the astronaut on console in the White FCR.

Ben vacated his seat as Hux crossed the room to his side, fully intending to let the other man sit. But Hux shook his head with a tiny smile, choosing to stand next to him instead. Ben reached for his hand, entwining their fingers.

“The procedure?” He whispered.

Hux squeezed his hand. “It’s done.”

“FCR 1.”

“We’re go, flight.” Canady’s voice rang out clearly, asserting that the ISS Mission Control team saw no concerns with the launch proceeding. Ben suspected that Holdo was probably watching from her own office. He wondered if his mother was tuning in.

“Station.”

“Go.” And that was Jess, on station, the final participant of the console checks.

“Launch control, this is Houston,” Peavey addressed the team at Kennedy in Florida. “We are go for launch.”

Murmured conversation broke out in the conference room as they waited for the final checks to be completed by launch control. Kennedy was primarily responsible for the spacecraft until it safely cleared the launch tower, and then the White FCR would take over from there.

“T-minus sixty seconds.”

The voices abated as the last minute counted down. On the screen, Ben could see the flame and smoke as the engines lit up at the base of the rocket, the arms holding it to the launch tower unhooking and moving away.

“Liftoff.”

Ben squeezed Hux’s hand as the Falcon left the ground. It was always a bit strange watching a launch on a screen. The rocket looked so small as it gracefully shot towards the sky, a sharp contrast from the noise and vibrations Ben recalled from being aboard one. They all watched carefully as the spacecraft went skyward, pitching on an angle as it gained altitude. The first few minutes of a launch were amongst the most dangerous; if something was going to go wrong, it would likely be early on. Over the audio feed, they could hear the updates from the White FCR, who had now assumed responsibility for the spacecraft. Their job wouldn’t be done until the Falcon was safely docked to the ISS and powered down, estimated for about four in the morning.

In less than ten minutes, the Falcon had achieved orbit, and the occupants of the conference room gave a collective sigh of relief. Everyone began talking at once, celebrating a successful launch and thinking ahead to the plans for the next day. Ben turned to Hux.

“So the procedure is good?”

Hux nodded. “Yep. We finished it about seven, one of the staffers was going to make copies and bring it over.”

That meant it was probably in FCR 1 by now. “I should probably stop by and see if I can get a copy before we leave.” It’d be good to have some advance time to review it before he had to talk the crew through the prep procedures the next day. “Did you eat?”

“Not yet.” Hux shook his head.

“Do you want to get anything?” Ben offered. “I had something in the caf earlier.”

“We’ve got leftovers at home,” Hux reminded him. “I’d just as soon head back, if you’re ready.”

For as well as he hid it, Hux had to be exhausted, after yet another long day of working underwater. And it was after eight already, and they both needed to be back at work before seven the next morning. “Yeah, okay.”

Hux wanted to check for messages on his desk phone before departing for the night, so Ben left the Astronaut Office first, intending to head over to the FCR. It turned out he didn’t need to, for an arriving staff member intercepted him before he’d even left Building Four.

“Mr. Solo!”

Ben blinked. He wasn’t used to being called that, although it wasn’t uncommon for junior staff members to address the astronauts as such.

“Yes?”

The young man held out a file. “Flight Director Holdo requested you get a copy of this before you leave.”

Ben accepted the file and glanced down at the cover. It was the spacewalk procedure. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“No problem, sir,” the younger man replied, taking his leave.

In the upper right hand corner of the cover, five sets of initials were handwritten in a column. The astronauts and Neutral Buoyancy Lab experts who signed off on the procedure. He spotted Poe’s scrawled initials and, just beneath it, an A.H. in a familiarly precise print. He’d expected that, of course, but seeing the written proof of their approval made Ben feel better than he had all week. There were no two astronauts he trusted more.

He lifted the file, turning to Hux, who’d just caught up with him. “Your initials are on the front cover.”

Hux’s lips quirked. “Indeed.” They left the building, heading down the path towards the parking lot.

“How convenient that I live with one of the people who wrote this, just in case I have any questions.”

Hux chuckled. “You’re in a good mood.”

“I’m relieved,” Ben admitted. There were still a long two days ahead, he knew. Any number of things could happen to delay the spacewalk. But they were in the best possible shape, and that was a good feeling.

Yes,” Hux agreed, as they reached the car. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I managed to work my love affair with British scones and clotted cream into this fic... :-)
> 
> 2\. The description of the pre-launch console checks in this chapter was very heavily influenced by the launch sequence in Apollo 13 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-JdqHxqkHA, starts at 2:35). It's an amazing movie, if you haven't seen it, and apparently one of the more accurate film representations of NASA's Mission Control.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, sorry for the longer wait for this chapter! It's been a busy couple of weeks.
> 
> Without further ado-

When the alarm went off the next morning, Ben groaned and buried his face in the pillow. It was an important day, and he was looking forward to making the final preparations for the spacewalk. He just wished morning hadn’t come quite so soon. He’d stayed up too late the previous night to read the procedure cover to cover, long after Hux had fallen asleep beside him. Their alarm was deliberately set for a bit earlier than necessary, giving Ben a few minutes to wallow in sleepiness. Hux, by contrast, was typically out of bed the moment it sounded.

Maybe it was a military thing.

Apparently exhaustion from two days in the pool wasn’t enough to break that habit, for Ben felt the bed shift as Hux rolled out of it. He didn’t open his eyes, but listened for the familiar sounds of his boyfriend’s morning routine: toilet flushing, sink running. He expected to hear the shower next, but instead it was the unmistakable creak of the bedroom door. Ben lifted his head, peering over his shoulder, just in time to see Hux disappear into the hall. The other man usually showered first thing, but Ben was definitely not awake enough to work out what he might be doing instead. With a shrug, he dropped his head back to the pillow.

What felt like only moments later, Ben was roused by a hand running down his back and the scent of… was that coffee? He untucked his head from the pillow to see Hux sitting in bed beside him, clad in only a t-shirt and briefs, holding out a mug. Ben worked his way into a sitting position and took the offering, leaning back against the headboard.

“Mm thanks,” he murmured, taking a sip. “What time is it?”

“Quarter to six,” Hux replied, sipping at his own mug of tea. “We have a little bit of time.” They typically left the house at about six-thirty; the alarm went off an hour before that. For Hux, that meant plenty of time for getting ready for work, plus the chance to sit with a cup of tea and read the news, as he liked to do. For Ben, it meant he could be leisurely in getting out of bed and make it downstairs with just enough time for a cup of coffee before they had to leave. It wasn’t lost on him that Hux had rearranged his own morning to bring him his morning beverage in bed.

“How late did you stay up?” Hux asked.

“Too late.” Ben acknowledged, taking another mouthful of coffee. “But I read the whole thing.”

“I’ll wait until you’re more awake to ask if you have any questions,” Hux teased, and Ben wrinkled his nose.

“I’m almost there - this is seriously helping.” He lifted the mug in evidence and then set it on the bedside table, scooting to his boyfriend’s side to steal a quick kiss. “So thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Hux closed his eyes, leaning into Ben’s warm body. They stayed like that for a long moment, until the Brit straightened up, eyes opening once again. “I’m going to go shower.”

“Okay.” Ben reluctantly disentangled himself, retrieving his coffee as Hux got out of bed. The younger man had no intention of going anywhere until the mug was empty. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

 

****\------------

  
****

“So what’s on tap for you today?” Ben asked in the car, forty-five minutes later. With the spacewalk procedure done, Hux was headed for the Astronaut Office instead of the NBL.

“A long phone call with Munich,” Hux replied, not taking his eyes off the road. “I’ve been checking in with them intermittently, and not only me, of course, but I’ll need to make sure they’re up to speed.”

“They’ll be pleased that we’re on track for tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Hux agreed. “There’s been a lot of damage to experimental data, truthfully, with the power out for so long.”

“Do you have a sense of how many experiments have been compromised?” Ben asked. He wasn’t really sure if he wanted to know the answer.

“I don’t have a number, no. We’ve got a provisional list going, but it’ll be easier to take stock once Columbus is back up and running.” Ben could understand that; for one thing, until the heat exchanger was fixed, the number of impacted experiments would likely keep going up. “How’re you feeling about the procedure?”

“Pretty good. You weren’t kidding about the ammonia disconnection being the most difficult part.” Hux smirked at that. “Jess is going to run an airlock decontamination sim today, in case they aren’t as adept at it as you and Poe.”

“Took us three tries,” Hux confessed. “But we figured out the best method and that-“ he nodded at the file in Ben’s lap. “Is what’s in there.” He turned onto the road that would take them into the JSC complex. “But the decontamination sim is a good idea, in any case.”

They parted ways on the sidewalk, Ben headed left to the Kraft Mission Control Center, and Hux to the path that would take him to Building Four.

“Wish me luck,” Ben called, impulsively, just before Hux disappeared from view.

Hux turned, walking backwards. His eye roll wasn’t quite visible from that distance, but Ben could imagine it. “Luck has nothing to do with it!”

Ben was still chuckling when he reached the door to the FCR.

 

\------------

 

_Of all the things Ben had worried about when it came to his parents, introducing them to his new boyfriend proved to be one of the easiest. Leia had actually met Hux before Ben; she’d still been the Director of JSC when the Englishman first came stateside for training at NASA a decade earlier. In her own words, he was “an excellent astronaut and a lovely young man”. Hux, who looked a very youthful forty-three, had snorted when Ben repeated the “young man” bit._

_Han, for his part, got on well with anyone who had a dry sense of humor and could talk military aircraft, both things Hux excelled in. Predictably, Ben’s father managed to steer the conversation to flying within about fifteen minutes of pouring drinks, and then there was no stopping it. Ben could generally hold his own amongst the military pilots in his life, but - in this conversation - he was severely outclassed. In fact, Han and Hux were so enthused in their discussion that he finally abandoned ship and went to help his mother serve dinner._

_“They’re getting on well,” Leia commented, handing Ben a bowl of potatoes to bring into the dining room._

_“Evidently.” Ben chuckled. “They lost me at ‘the difference in rotors between an Apache and a Blackhawk’.”_

_She laughed, her eyes sparkling. “You’re dating ex-military, Ben. Better get used to it now.”_

_“I don’t suppose it ever changes.” Not that he’d want it to, really._

_“Don’t hold your breath.” The look Leia gave him was positively conspiratorial, fondness mixed with a hint of exasperation, and Ben had never felt more kinship with his mother than in that moment._

_Sitting down with both of his parents for dinner was a fairly infrequent occurrence, even when they were in the same city. Hell, even when they’d all been living in the same house. Leia had gone out of her way to make a nice meal for their visit, and the gesture did not go unnoticed. They were staying over; the house had plenty of room, and she probably wouldn’t have had it any other way._

_“It’s wonderful to have you both here,” she said, passing Ben a serving plate. “Isn’t it, Han?” Her husband murmured his agreement. “Now, I know you were on station together, but I’m wondering when you actually started dating?”_

_Ben was reminded of his first conversation with Hux’s mother, the “and-my-son-doesn’t-tell-me-anything” clear in Leia’s subtext. “Mom-“ he sighed._

_Hux’s hand settled on his leg under the table, offering a reassuring squeeze. “I was in Houston when Ben returned from space,” he began to explain._

_“That’s right, of course,” Leia remembered. They’d all been on the tarmac together when Ben and Poe had arrived from San Diego._

_“We spent a little bit of time together before I returned to Germany. And then Ben came over a few weeks later to debrief, so we met up again.” Ben was glad Hux was giving the vague version. His mother definitely didn’t need to know that “met up again” meant went out to dinner and then had incredibly hot sex. “And it evolved from there.”_

_“Long distance is difficult,” Leia offered, watching Hux carefully. There was a hint of a challenge in her tone, a protective mother instinct that Ben hadn’t seen in quite some time. By the slight shift in Hux’s posture, he knew the other man had heard it, too. Ben opened his mouth to intercede, but Hux beat him to it._

_“Yes, it is,” The other man agreed, holding Leia’s gaze. “But your son is very important to me, and we’ve both invested a lot of energy into making it work.”_

_Leia stared back for another moment, then smiled and nodded. “I like you, Hux.”_

_Ben huffed a quiet laugh, and all eyes flicked to him. “What?” He offered, trying not to blush. “I like him, too.”_

_Han chuckled, and Hux smiled in that way of his, a bit of a smirk mixed with affection. Leia was observing them with a similar expression to the one Cynthia had directed their way in London. It was apparently plain and clear to both of their mothers just how head over heels they were._

_“How is everything in the Office of the Administrator?” Hux asked Leia then, and Ben was grateful to have something to talk about other than their relationship._

_“Busy,” Leia confessed, with a wry grin. “We’re working on securing continued funding for the ISS, as well as for the deep-space missions in development.” She sighed. “Not everyone recognizes the value of space exploration; they don’t think about the incredible scientific advances - in medicine, technology - that we’ve gained from our time on the ISS-“_

_“You’re preaching to the converted,” Han quipped._

_“Yes, I know that,” she stressed, glancing around the table at the three men - two active astronauts, and one retired. “I wasn’t suggesting any of you need convincing. More that, outside of the space program, there are a lot of people who do.”_

_“I can imagine,” Hux agreed. “The space program doesn’t get the same kind of mainstream coverage it once did, either, which doesn’t help.”_

_Ben thought privately that he was just as happy to not be a celebrity, although he knew that was hardly the point._

_“There’s also those who think we shouldn’t continue to fund the ISS, if our focus is shifting to farther flung missions,” Leia continued. “But while we certainly need to set priorities, at the moment the Station is providing research invaluable to the deep-space program. Though, of course, that may eventually change.”_

_“I don’t know how you do it,” Ben admitted. “I can’t imagine having to deal with those kinds of negotiations.” He couldn’t conceive of wanting a job that was almost entirely politics._

_“Oh, I don’t know,” Hux smirked. “I think it sounds quite interesting.”_

_His boyfriend, on the other hand? Ben thought he’d probably be quite good at it. The Brit was organized, well-spoken, persuasive, and unequivocally passionate about space exploration. Ben thought that Hux would likely end up in senior administration sooner or later, whenever he decided he was ready to step down from active flight status._

_“It’s definitely interesting,” Leia agreed. “But not without its challenges.” She glanced to her husband. “Han, top up the wine, would you?”_

 

\------------

 

_“That was fun,” Hux offered, hours later, in the privacy of their bedroom for the night._

_Ben chuckled. “Are you referring to talking about the space program, my mom grilling you about our relationship, or the embarrassing childhood stories that came out over dessert?”_

_“All of it,” Hux retorted, straightening up from where he’d been rummaging in his suitcase. He shot Ben a sly grin. “But I especially liked the one about you taking all of your clothes off in the middle of a barbecue.”_

_Ben rolled his eyes. Of course, Leia had to bring that up. It was one of her favorite stories, much to his dismay. “I was, like, five, okay? And it was hot out.”_

_“Is there home video?”_

_“No!” At least, Ben hoped there wasn’t. He was certain Leia wouldn’t have kept that a secret._

_“Starting your exhibitionist tendencies at a young age?”_

_“I am not an exhibitionist.” Hux was openly laughing by that point. He was also stripping down to his briefs, and Ben was wholly distracted from his irritation by the sight. Hux neatly folded his clothes, setting them in the suitcase, and then crossed to where Ben stood._

_“You are so much fun to tease.”_

_Ben wrinkled his nose, nonetheless running his hands over Hux’s soft skin. The other man leaned forward and lightly pressed their lips together, then ducked around him to crawl into bed. Ben made quick work of removing his own clothes, folding them decidedly less neatly than his boyfriend had, and followed him under the warm covers._

_Hux opened his arms, and Ben snuggled into them, tucking his nose into the crook of the other man’s neck. Breathing him in._

_“In all seriousness, I had a very nice time,” Hux murmured, running a hand through Ben’s long hair. There were few things Ben found more soothing, and he was glad Hux seemed to like doing it. “I like your parents.”_

_“I’m glad.” And Ben was. His relationship with Han and Leia was about the best it had ever been, and he hoped it would stay that way._

_“Childhood barbecues are a complete mystery to me,” the other man mused. “It was more like - stiff, formal dinners where I dared not open my mouth.”_

_Ben squeezed Hux gently. The other man responded about as well to perceived pity as Ben himself did, but he’d found other ways to show his support. “Well, now you can have as many hot Texas barbecues as you like.” He grinned. “If you ask nicely, I might even strip for you. Just you, mind.”_

_“Is that so?” Hux turned on his side, meeting Ben’s eyes with a rather seductive smirk. His hand wandered down to grip Ben’s thigh, tugging them closer together._

_Ben sought Hux’s lips with his own, only answering once they’d parted, breathless._

_“Definitely."_

 

\------------

 

“Houston, station.”

“Good evening, Station.” Ben replied, leaning forward in his chair. It was two PM in Houston, seven PM station time, and the start of the evening Daily Planning Conference. The first DPC of Expedition 69 to feature the full six-person crew. The Falcon had docked at seven-thirty that morning, just after the start of day check-in, and the arriving crew members had taken most of the day to get oriented while their colleagues went full steam ahead on EVA prep. “And welcome to Snap, Lusica, and Thanisson.”

“Hey, Ben,” Snap called. “And thanks.” The others chimed in with a hello.

“You guys all feeling okay?”

“I think we’re all a little queasy,” Snap chuckled. “But we’ll be fine.”

“I have no doubt.” Ben affirmed. “How’s the prep going, Jess?”

“We’re in good shape,” Jess answered. “Rose, Doph, Snap and I have all gone over the procedure several times.”

Well, Thanisson and Lusica had taken most of the day to get oriented. Snap Wexley had been thrown head first into spacewalk planning, which he’d handled with his customary good humor. While Dopheld would be the primary support crew member for the spacewalk, he’d need Snap’s help to get Jess and Rose suited and out the door.

“We’ve got all of the correct tools laid out for tomorrow,” Jess continued. “We resized the spacesuits yesterday, so that’s done. And we ran the ammonia decontamination sim this afternoon, and that went fine. Everyone is comfortable with the procedure.”

“Great,” Ben affirmed. “It sounds like you’ve got it covered.”

The sim that he’d discussed with Hux in the car was not intended for decontamination of the station, but rather for the possibility that an astronaut might become exposed to ammonia while spacewalking and thus require decontamination before returning inside. As it wasn’t a situation that came up very often, it was important that the crew refresh the procedures on how to handle it. Given that Jess and Rose would be disconnecting and reconnecting the heat exchanger and the ammonia loop, the threat of contamination was very real.

“What do you have for us?” She asked.

“I just want to review the schedule for tomorrow.” Ben glanced through his notes. “Kaydel will run through it at the morning DPC, too. She’ll be providing support during suit-up. You and Rose should be on oxygen from seven AM on, with suit up beginning around eight. The aim is to have you outside about one in the afternoon; I’ll be on console by that time.”

“Sounds good, Ben,” Jess affirmed. “I think we’re ready. We’ll all be doing one more review of the procedure tonight, just to be sure.”

For most EVAs, astronauts had weeks or months to learn it inside-out; first, through simulations at JSC, and then typically several days of prep once on station. Larma had sent the procedure up to the crew overnight, so they’d had just the one day to learn it. Ben would be guiding them through it step-by-step, but - even so - it was important they had a solid grasp on everything they’d need to do. Ben recalled the night before his own spacewalk, polishing his visor for the second time that day and reviewing the procedure for the hundredth. He could only imagine how much more stressful it would’ve been without the customary time to prepare.

“Don’t forget to get some rest,” he advised. “You all have a busy day tomorrow.”

“Copy that, Houston,” Jess quipped, with a chuckle. “We will.”

“I’m going to hand you off to Munich, now,” he told her. During the DPC, each participating space center had a chance to speak with the astronauts about any items of note. “Unless there’s anything else?”

“Nope. Thanks, Ben. We’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Tomorrow. By the time he next spoke to the crew, Jess and Rose would be nearly ready to begin the spacewalk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I've managed to stretch out prepping for and talking about this spacewalk for as long as possible... so it will finally occur (!) in the next chapter, along with the conclusion of the story (save for the epilogue).


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I decided to make some small changes to it, and then life got busy and I couldn't quite find the time to do so. But here it is, finally. Only the epilogue left to go, which I hope to have up within a week. Thanks everyone for sticking with me, this has been such fun!

When Ben arrived in the FCR shortly before seven the next morning, Kaydel greeted him with a smile. “Morning!”

“Hey,” Ben responded, dropping his bag and setting his mug of coffee on the desk. “You’re awfully chipper for someone who’s been awake all night.”

She nodded, still smiling. “Yep. We’re fixing a heat exchanger today.”

He couldn’t help but share a little of her enthusiasm. “Yes. We are. So where are we at?”

“On schedule,” she affirmed. “Jess and Rose are suited up and in the equipment lock, Doph and Snap just sealed the hatch. They’re beginning the depressurization procedure now.”

Ben settled in his chair beside her. “Okay, so we should be good to go for one o’clock.”

“Looks like it,” Kaydel replied. “Do you want to hand-off now, so you can follow along with what’s happening?”

“Yeah,” Ben nodded. “That’d be great.” They swapped spots, and he put on the headset. His attention immediately narrowed in on the space-to-ground loop, where he could hear Doph and Jess conversing. They themselves were using the com to communicate, separated by the sealed hatch between the crew lock and the equipment lock. He adjusted his headset and took a fortifying sip of coffee, before turning his attention to the spacewalk procedure laid out on the console in front of him. He’d read through it again the previous night, making notes and ensuring he was comfortable with every last step.

Hux and Poe were at the back of the FCR, keeping out of the way but readily available if needed. Their presence left Ben with an odd mix of reassurance and nerves. Given how quickly the spacewalk had come together, having them on hand could prove exceedingly helpful if any questions or issues arose. On the other hand, he felt a bit like he was about to perform some great work in the presence of its authors; hopefully, he wouldn’t screw anything up.

For many reasons.

He was mostly quiet for the better part of an hour, reviewing his notes and listening to the crew work through the equipment lock depressurization. When Doph instructed Jess, who was EVA 1, to open the outer hatch, Ben straightened in his seat.

It was time.

“Houston, Station.” Dopheld’s voice reached his ears again, now addressing him directly. “That you, Ben?”

“I’m here, Doph.”

“You’re ready for them?”

Ben nodded automatically, even though Dopheld couldn’t see him. “Copy that. Jess, Rose, are you hearing me okay?”

“Copy, Ben,” Jess replied.

“Hi, Ben,” Rose chimed in. “I can hear you just fine.”

“Excellent.” Ben didn’t need his notes for this bit, the standard egress procedure. He’d trained on it more times than he could count, as both a spacewalker and a Capcom. “You can both proceed with switching onto battery power.”

He listened to their narration as they disconnected from the station’s power supply and carefully checked the displays on their spacesuits. Everything looked good.

“EV1 - Jess - proceed with egress.”

“Affirmed, Ben.” Thanks to the many cameras mounted to the exterior of the station, Mission Control would have a pretty good view of most of the spacewalk. On the large screens at the front of the FCR, he could see the open Quest hatch and a spacesuited astronaut just beginning to emerge. He waited patiently, knowing from experience that it took a bit of time to get a bulky spacesuit safely through the opening. “Houston, EV1. I’m on the exterior of Quest, tether secured.”

“Copy, Jess. EV2 - Rose - you can now proceed with egress.”

He found himself imagining what Rose’s first moment outside the station would be like. Much like his own, perhaps. This was her first ever spacewalk; perhaps not the ideal first outing, with so little time to prepare and so much riding on it, but thrilling all the same.

“Houston, EV2,” Rose reported. “I’m now tethered to the exterior of Quest.”

“Great, copy that, Rose.” Ben smiled. “How’s the view?”

He could hear her suck in a breath. “It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah, I remember that feeling,” he agreed. “I’d be happy to let you sit there and look all day, but we have a heat exchanger to fix. So, Jess, when you’re ready, you can start making your way up to Node 2. Rose, once she’s clear of Quest, you can follow.”

The two astronauts would have to carefully move up to Node 2, where the faulty heat exchanger was located. Once it was unhooked, they’d have to transport the defective equipment - weightless, but nonetheless the size of a mini fridge - back to the truss. Once there, they’d secure it for storage and retrieve its replacement, before making the trek back to Node 2 to install it.

It was going to be a long, tiring day.

 

\------------

 

_Ben’s phone vibrated just as he was pulling into his driveway. He glanced at it before getting out of the car. From Hux: Call me when you get home. Checking his watch, Ben’s brow furrowed. It was after five in Houston, meaning it was past midnight in Germany. They didn’t Skype most weeknights for that reason; Ben hoped everything was okay._

_He retrieved his laptop, settling at his kitchen table and booting up Skype. Hux was already on, as he expected, and he quickly connected the call._

_“That was fast.” Hux smiled at the screen._

_“I was already in my driveway when you texted. Slightly earlier day, for once.”_

_“How lucky for me,” Hux quipped, stifling a yawn. “I was worried I’d have to stay up until 1 or 2 AM.”_

_“What’s wrong?”_

_“What? Oh,” Hux chuckled. “Nothing’s wrong, sorry. I can see why you might have thought that. But I actually have some news.”_

_Ben paused. “News?”_

_“I had a meeting with the Director of EAC today,” Hux told him. “I’ve been assigned as the next ESA Astronaut Rep to NASA, effective 1 September.”_

_Ben froze. “You- You- Wait. You’ve been assigned-“_

_“As ESA Astronaut Rep-“ Hux filled in._

_“To NASA.” Ben was still working through this mentally._

_“I’m moving to Houston, Ben.” Hux smirked. “In September.”_

_“This September,” Ben affirmed. “This September, as in just over four months from now, September?”_

_Hux laughed. “Yes, this September. He thought’d I’d be interested in the assignment, given us, though not only for that reason. It’ll be for two to three years, depending on a number of factors.”_

_Ben gradually became aware that his mouth was hanging open._

_“Are you okay, Ben?”_

_Ben laughed. “I think I’m in shock.”_

_“Good shock?”_

_“Yes.” Ben put as much feeling into the word as he could muster. “You’re moving to Houston, Hux. Fuck. That’s amazing.” Something occurred to him. “You hate the heat.”_

_Hux chuckled. “I’ll survive. Turns out I love you more.”_

_“Aww.”_

_Hux rolled his eyes. “Anyway. I wanted to tell you as soon as possible, but now I really need to go to sleep. I have to be up in five hours.”_

_“Yeah, okay.” Ben agreed, as much as he wanted to keep celebrating this amazing news with his boyfriend on the other end of the line. “You go sleep. I love you.”_

_Hux smiled. “I love you, too.”_

 

\------------

 

_It actually wasn’t nearly as difficult to pull off as he’d feared. A purported late evening at work was plenty excuse for why Ben wasn’t available to text. In actuality, he wasn’t available to text because he was on a flight, phone firmly in airplane mode. He caught himself before he sent a message, in a jet-lagged stupor, during his early morning layover in London; a text from Ben at two AM Houston time would arouse Hux’s suspicion. He landed in Cologne around midday, got a cab to Hux’s neighborhood and found a cafe to camp out in until his boyfriend was off work. He didn’t have a key to the apartment, and Hux didn’t know to arrange one for him this time._

_He’d sent a text around four: Let me know when you’re home, might have time at lunch. When his phone vibrated at just past seven, Ben gathered his bag and walked the two blocks back to Hux’s building. The security guard let him in, recognizing him, and grinned when Ben confessed the surprise. And then he was outside Hux’s door._

_When the door opened, Hux’s face registered absolute shock. Ben reveled in it; it was possibly the first time he’d truly managed to surprise the other man._

_“Ben?!” Hux spluttered. “What are you- you texted me that you were at JSC-“ Realization dawned. “Oh, you sneak.”_

_Ben grinned. “Do I get to come in?”_

_Hux all but hauled him over the threshold and into a crushing kiss. Ben melted, almost forgetting the reason he’d come._

_“Happy Birthday. Well, almost-birthday,” he murmured against the other man’s lips, once they’d broken apart for air._

_Hux’s eyes widened. “Is that what this is about? You flew over here to surprise me for my birthday?”_

_Ben nodded. “Yes, in part. But also this-“ He withdrew an item from his pocket, a house key on a key ring. “Move in with me.”_

_Hux blinked._

_“I know you said NASA could help set you up with a place in Houston, but we’ve been together for nearly a year. It just seems silly for you to rent something when I have a house, and there’s plenty of space. And I really want to live with you. So move in with me, Hux.”_

_“It had crossed my mind,” Hux admitted, after a moment. “But I didn’t want to assume. I thought maybe I should get my own place to start-“_

_“You’re not assuming,” Ben assured him. “I’m asking.”_

_“Are you sure?” Hux teased, a slight smirk forming on his face. “You haven’t spent more than a week at at time with me so far. I might drive you crazy.”_

_“We lived together for three months on the ISS,” Ben pointed out._

_“We weren’t sleeping together then.”_

_Ben grinned. “So this can only be better.”_

_Hux smiled. “Then okay.”_

_“Okay?” Ben double-checked._

_Hux laughed, taking the key from Ben’s hand. “Yes, Ben. I’ll move in with you.”_

_Then Hux’s arms were around him, lips fused to his. And all Ben could think of was that, soon, he’d be able to do this every single day._

 

\------------

 

In FCR 1, it seemed that everyone was watching the spacewalk unfolding on screen. Ben suspected that more flight controllers than usual were listening to the space-to-ground loop, which provided considerably more detailed information than what was discernible from the video. Even Hux and Poe had found some space at a console in the last row and were wearing headsets, likely hearing every word he said.

“The water loop is reconnected to the IFHX,” Jess reported. They were nearly five hours into the spacewalk, and things were going well. The astronauts had successfully disconnected the malfunctioning exchanger without causing an ammonia leak and were now most of the way through installing its replacement.

“Copy that, Jess. Reattach ammonia loop A to the in port on the IFHX. And I have a couple of warnings for you here.”

“Go ahead.”

“Be sure that you have the loop lined up straight with the port,” he continued. “The angle’s a bit awkward. And you’ll need to ensure the seal is tight when you bolt it in.”

“Copy, Ben.”

Ben was grateful that Hux and Poe had noted every little step in the EVA procedure. Not that they would have done it any other way, but he appreciated the specifics and knew that Jess and Rose did, too.

He waited quietly, listening to Jess and Rose converse over the com.

“Line it up here-“

“It’s still off a bit, see?”

“That looks better-“

Rose chuckled in mild exasperation. “You weren’t kidding about the angle, Ben.”

“It tripped us up in sims, too,” he reassured her. “Just take your time. You’re both doing great.” He remembered well hour five of his own spacewalk, fighting off the growing fatigue to get the job done.

“There we go,” Jess said, a minute later. “Tighten it up.” Ben’s eyes scanned the display showing video feed from the camera on her helmet. Everything looked good from what he could see, but Jess and Rose were in the best position to assess. “Ben, the loop is reattached and bolted in, seal secure.”

“Okay, confirmed. Go ahead and attached the loop on the out port. Again, make sure you have a tight seal.” 

On the large screen at the front of the room, Jess and Rose could be seen huddled close on the side of the Harmony module, their white spacesuits bright against the black of space around them.

“Loop reattached to the out port, seal looks good.”

“Copy that. Open the valve on the out port.”

When Jess confirmed that was done, he directed her to open the valve on the other side. Just like in the NBL only three days earlier, it almost felt like the entire room held their breath as the ammonia began flowing through the new heat exchanger.

A minute ticked by.

“Ben, the ammonia loop is fully reconnected, both valves open. No visible sign of a leak from either port.”

Ben exhaled a breath. “Copy. Standby.” 

He was about to relay the update to Holdo, but SPARTAN spoke up first, having clearly been listening to the astronauts’ report. Truthfully, Holdo was almost definitely listening in, too. “Flight, ammonia level in loop A is holding. No indication of a leak. We’re bringing the new IFHX online now.”

Another tense minute passed.

“IFHX is up, all sensors reading normally.”

“ETHOS, can you confirm?” Holdo asked.

“Confirmed. All readings are nominal,” the ETHOS flight controller replied. “Looks good, Flight.”

Holdo glanced to Ben, a smile gracing her features. “Capcom, tell them to close it up.”

He nodded, turning his attention back to the astronauts on the exterior of the station. “Jess, Rose, the IFHX is up and everything checks out. We’re good to proceed with closing up the panel.”

“That’s great news, Ben,” Rose replied, sounding relieved. Jess let off a little cheer, and they all chuckled.

Until Columbus was fully powered up, a process which would be done systematically and carefully over a number of hours, they couldn’t be absolutely sure that the problem was solved. But a functional heat exchanger was certainly a good place to start. The astronauts couldn’t remain outside for the duration; if any further work was needed, it would require a second spacewalk. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be necessary.

Ben turned his attention to walking them through the final steps to secure the IFHX and seal the panel it resided in. He snuck a glance back to Hux and Poe in between relaying instructions, meeting his boyfriend’s eyes. Hux smiled and offered a nod.

Ben grinned.

 

\------------

 

At just after four PM, Ben finished his daily log and packed up to leave. Larma was on console and all was relatively quiet, the astronauts having a well deserved night of relaxation. Jess and Rose had returned inside about two hours earlier, to an enthusiastic cheer from their crewmates. They’d done a quick debrief and then let the crew switch gears to dinner. The spacewalkers wouldn’t have eaten since very early that morning; Ben imagined they’d thoroughly enjoyed their meal and then possibly gone straight to bed. Columbus was about fifty percent powered up, with no issues thus far - a good sign.

With a goodnight to Larma and first a handshake, and then a hug, with Holdo, Ben left the FCR and headed down to the first floor. He was surprised to see Hux there, waiting for him. The older man had disappeared for a bit once the spacewalk was complete, likely checking in at the Astronaut Office and probably also with ESA.

Ben smiled at the sight of him. Hux tucked his phone into his jacket as he approached.

“Okay?” Hux asked.

“Yeah,” Ben nodded. “Okay. How’s Munich?”

Hux chuckled. “Relieved.”

“I know the feeling,” Ben offered. “I think everyone is.”

“You did a great job in there,” Hux told him. “Couldn’t have been better.”

Ben actually blushed. “Well, a lot of the credit goes to Jess and Rose,” he pointed out. “Not to mention you and Poe.”

“It was our job to figure out the procedure,” Hux conceded. “But you had to talk them through it with only a day’s preparation on all sides. And you did.”

Ben nodded. “Thanks. I’m so glad it went well, but I’m also glad it’s over.” He typically enjoyed supporting spacewalks as Capcom, although it was undeniably a lot of work, but he vastly preferred doing so under less critical circumstances.

Hux smiled. “Agreed. I assume powering up Columbus has continued without issue?”

“Yeah, they’re about halfway there,” Ben told him. “Looks good so far.”

“Then shall we?”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “You’re all set for the day?” Given that Hux had spent almost the entire day in the FCR, Ben had imagined he’d have other tasks to catch up on afterwards.

Hux nodded. “I’m all set. And, I don’t know about you, but I could use a meal, a drink, and a really good night’s sleep.”

“Oh, that all sounds amazing.” Ben nearly moaned.

Hux held out a hand. “Give me the keys, I’ll drive. You look exhausted.”

“Gee, thanks,” Ben teased, nevertheless passing over the car keys. 

“Nice work in there, Solo,” someone called. Ben turned to see one of the ETHOS flight controllers headed for the exit. He waved a hand in thanks. “See you tomorrow.”

Ben turned back to Hux. They shared a smile, and Ben started to laugh.

“What?”

“I don’t even know,” he shrugged, still chuckling. “It’s just been a day. A week, even.”

Hux chuckled. “Indeed. Time to go home, I think.”

With a nod, Ben caught the other man’s free hand in his own. And, hand-in-hand, they made their way out of the building and into the late afternoon sunlight.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fluffy lil' epilogue...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I started research for this series nine months ago, and now here we are. I'm actually a little sad that it's over, but it's been such a joy to write. Thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos, commented... I'm so pleased that people have enjoyed my geeky, real-space AU. I don't have anything further planned in this series right now, but you never know. And I've started mulling over a new fic idea, so we'll see where that goes... it'll probably be awhile, but writing these two is seriously addictive!
> 
> Thanks again.

** Epilogue **

 

**_Two years later_ **

Ben stepped out onto the balcony, breathing in the warm air. The hotel was right on the beach, their room overlooking the expanse of sand, dotted with palm trees, and - beyond it - the bright blue water. It was approaching evening, and the sun was slinking low, brilliant colors streaking across the sky as it neared the horizon.

Hux was standing at the railing, his back to Ben. He was dressed for dinner, in trousers and a button-down. He’d actually conceded to wearing shorts and t-shirts for their vacation, given how much time they were spending outside, but still insisted on cleaning up for the evening. Truthfully, Ben had been a bit surprised that Hux had readily agreed to travel somewhere tropical, given his general distaste for heat, but the other man seemed to be enjoying himself. He’d been skipping the gel, too, letting his red hair fall loosely and naturally. Ben took great delight in mussing it up at nearly every opportunity.

Hux glanced over his shoulder at Ben’s approach, offering a soft smile. So much for a surprise attack. Ben stopped right behind him, resting his hands on the railing on either side of his husband.

_Husband_.

The thought still gave him a thrill. As did the sight of their matching silver rings, simple and elegant. Hux leaned back into him, and Ben nuzzled his cheek.

They didn’t speak. They didn’t have to. With Hux, Ben had learned a calmness he hadn’t believed he possessed, the ability to be quiet and at ease in someone else’s company. It was one of the many positive effects that Hux had had on him. Ben liked to think he’d had a few positive effects on Hux, too.

The sun set in a gorgeous wash of color, disappearing beneath the horizon as though under the sea. While they lived practically on the Gulf of Mexico, they didn’t spend all that much time by the water. Ben thought they probably ought to change that.

“Hawai’i was a good choice,” he murmured, watching the last bits of color flicker across the sky.

Hux chuckled. “What makes you say that?” He teased. “The amazing ocean views, the enormous hotel room, the food, the days on the beach…”

“Um, all of it?” Ben laughed, interrupting Hux’s listing of the wonders of their temporary paradise. “And the company, too. Don’t forget that.”

“Well, you do get to take me home with you,” Hux quipped, turning in Ben’s arms with a smirk, his eyes warm with affection.

Ben kissed him, hard.

“I was counting on it.”

 

\------------

 

**_Two months earlier_ **

_Ben hummed to himself as he chopped vegetables for dinner, turning ideas over in his mind. He’d been thinking a lot about marriage lately. And, more immediately, proposing. The man in question was still at JSC, held up by a late meeting. These days, it was typically the other way around, with Ben getting home after Hux. They’d taken to driving separate cars, with their schedules no longer so conveniently aligned._

_But._

_Tomorrow was Saturday, and they both had a much needed day off. Ben was taking the time to cook, which made him happy and was a rather nicer thing for Hux to come home to than reheated leftovers. They’d been doing a lot of the latter lately, with little time to properly cook during the week._

_Ben was a couple of months into mission training for his second spaceflight, slated for launch in just under two years. That was the reason for his current work schedule, and at least a bit of the reason for his thoughts about proposing. It was hardly the first time it had crossed his mind, and they’d even discussed marriage a bit, enough for Ben to know that Hux was open to the idea._

_The front door opened and shut, alerting Ben to the other man’s presence. He heard the clink of car keys dropping into the bowl, and then footsteps coming into the kitchen._

_“Hey,” he greeted._

_Hux responded by coming around the island to plant a kiss on Ben’s cheek. Ben smiled, turning his head to briefly brush their lips together._

_“Smells good in here,” Hux said then, eyes wandering over the array of ingredients Ben had out on the counter. “I’m just going to go change.”_

_Ben watched him go, then turned back to the food._

_Hux’s appointment at NASA was up in August of the next year, less than twelve months away. They’d have to deal with an awkward year of long distance, with Hux in Cologne and Ben primarily in Houston, with a fair bit of traveling for training. He’d decided to pursue becoming a Specialist in the Columbus module, which he hadn’t done prior to his first mission. It was a good idea, anyway, but also meant he’d get to spend some time with Hux while in Cologne receiving the certification._

_And then Ben would be in space for six months, after which they’d need to evaluate a long term plan. One that ultimately involved them living in the same city. Ben was excited for his mission, but he wasn’t looking forward to eighteen months without seeing Hux every day._

_Ben deposited his chopped veggies into a sizzling pan, and then checked on the chicken well under way on another burner. He’d decided he was going to propose to Hux. But the question was how to do it, and when. Should he have the ring already, and how much romance was too much for his taciturn boyfriend?_

_Hux returned at that moment, dressed down in jeans and a polo._

_“Anything I can do to help?”_

_“Nah, I’m good,” Ben shook his head. “Everything’s under control. How was your day?”_

_Hux shrugged, settling on one of the island stools. “Fine. Busy. That last meeting didn’t need to run so long, but everyone felt the need to restate the same points over and over again.”_

_Ben chuckled at the disdain in his boyfriend’s tone. Hux had little time for inefficiencies. “Well, aside from that, how’s the project going?” His boyfriend was facilitating a joint NASA-ESA venture to develop some additional technology for deep space missions. He sometimes complained about the frustrations of project management, but Ben knew he was good at it and invested in the outcome, besides._

_“Good.” Hux smirked. “Really good, actually. The engineering team is making great progress.”_

_Ben smiled. “So any guesses on when we’ll be seeing the first missions?”_

_“Eager, are we?” Hux teased._

_Ben shrugged. “Only if I can take you with me.” He knew the odds of that were incredibly low. Truthfully, the odds of him being assigned a deep space mission, whenever they finally occurred, were low, anyway, and he honestly didn’t know that he’d want to do it without Hux. Six months away was plenty long enough._

_“It’d be a long time apart.” Hux echoed Ben’s musings. “I’m still getting used to the idea of you being on the ISS without me.”_

_It was a moment of such rare vulnerability from the other man, that Ben literally couldn’t stop the words tumbling out._

_“Marry me.”_

_Hux blinked, lips parting in surprise. Ben’s brain caught up, realizing with a horrified jolt that this wasn’t at all how he intended for the moment to go._

_“Wait. Wait, wait,” he blurted, before Hux could even think to respond. Only one way forward now. Ben rounded the counter to where Hux sat, tugging the other man to his feet. “Let me do this properly.” He sank to his knees on the kitchen floor, in front of his wide-eyed partner. He hadn’t exactly prepared what to say; he’d have to just trust his gut. “I love you,” Ben asserted, staring up into Hux’s eyes. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And when I go to space, I want to know that my home is wherever you are.”_

_He peered up at Hux nervously, waiting._

_“Is there a question in there somewhere?”_

_Ben huffed a laugh, a bit of the anxiety uncoiling in his stomach. Above him, Hux’s eyes were sparkling with warmth and amusement._

_“Armitage Hux, will you marry me?”_

_Hux dropped to his knees as well, leaving them eye to eye. He cupped Ben’s cheeks in his hands, thumbs stroking over his skin. “Yes,” he whispered, sending Ben’s heart soaring, and then leaned in until their lips met._

_Ben wasn’t sure how long they’d been kissing on the kitchen floor when a burning smell caught his attention._

_“Shit,” he exclaimed, scrambling to his feet to rescue their dinner, leaving Hux laughing on the floor behind him. “You were distracting me,” he grumbled good-naturedly, once the food was back under control and Hux was back on his feet._

_“Me?” Hux’s expression was incredulous. “I’m not the one who decided to propose in the middle of cooking dinner.”_

_Ben shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly planned. It just… felt right.”_

_Hux smiled. Crossing the kitchen, he retrieved a bottle from the wine rack and held it up for Ben to see. The younger man’s eyes widened._

_“Are you sure? I thought you were saving it for a special occasion?” Hux had bought the rather expensive bottle a few months earlier, insisting on keeping it aside for the right time._

_Hux raised an eyebrow. “Can you think of a better one?”_

_Ben grinned and crossed the kitchen to kiss his boyfriend - no, his fiancee - once again._

 

\------------

 

After dinner, Ben and Hux wandered onto the beach, hand in hand. There were still plenty of people about, enjoying the pleasant temperature, and voices and laughter could be heard in the distance as they approached the water.

Ben tipped his head back, staring up at the sky. There was a fair amount of light here, from the nearby buildings, but he could still make out some stars.

“Do you realize,” he mused. “That it was almost exactly four years ago that I arrived on the ISS?”

He glanced over to Hux. The other man’s eyes were sparkling in the dim light.

“I have such good memories of that day,” Ben went on. “My first launch, arriving on station, getting to see everyone.” He shot Hux a sly grin. “Meeting _you_.” Technically, they’d met before that, but - in the arc of their relationship - neither one of them was bothering to count an exchange of pleasantries in a JSC hallway.

“I do, too,” Hux said softly, squeezing his hand. Ben felt the cool metal band of Hux’s wedding ring against his skin, the sensation causing him to brush a finger over his own, on his free hand. He still couldn’t quite believe they were wearing them. 

Just a few days prior, and two months after Ben’s impromptu proposal, they’d stood in front of a justice of the peace in Houston. Poe and Phasma had been their witnesses, and they and their spouses had insisted on treating Ben and Hux to dinner afterwards. The next day, the newlyweds had boarded a plane to Hawai’i.

No one else knew. Not even their parents. Ben knew he was going to catch hell from Leia, for not having a wedding or even bothering to tell her he was getting married. He didn’t imagine Evelyn Hux would be any more pleased. Two only sons, and they’d denied both of their mothers the joy of watching their children walk down the aisle.

It had taken all of five minutes of conversation, when they finally got down to it, to establish that neither of them fancied a wedding. They didn’t have much family, between them, and both preferred a few close friends to an extensive social network. Ben disliked being the center of attention, and Hux liked to keep his private life private. And, if they weren’t planning a wedding, there really was no need to wait months, or years, was there? Neither of them were getting any younger - Ben had recently celebrated his fortieth birthday, and Hux was forty-six -, and they’d both been in enough relationships to know when they’d found what they were looking for.

“You’ll be back up there soon enough,” Hux was saying, still looking at the sky.

Two years, almost, but Ben knew it would go by in a flash. “Do you think you’ll ever go back?” He wondered.

Hux offered a shrug. “Who knows. I’d like to, but I’ll also be okay if it doesn’t happen. I have plenty to keep me busy on the ground.”

“I’m willing to bet you end up directing the European Astronaut program, or something like that.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Hux chuckled, but Ben could hear the pleased note in his voice. He liked the idea, and perhaps also that Ben thought he’d be good at it.

Would Ben pack up and move to Germany if Hux ended up with a senior position at ESA? It didn’t take much thought to know that the answer was yes, even if it meant retiring from active flight status.

“I wish I could take you with me.”

Hux was smiling ever so slightly, as Ben turned to face him. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

“On the tarmac at JSC?” The night of his first return was etched into Ben’s memory. For many reasons, but perhaps not any so much as the sight of Hux amongst the crowd.

Hux closed the gap between them.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”


End file.
